He Isn't
by KumoriOokamiKira
Summary: It wasn't like Miyagi meant for it to happen that way, it was just one little kiss. Innocent enough. How could it possibly cause so much trouble? Terrorist/MiyagiXHiro  MiyaHiro is kind of just a plot element more or less.
1. Crash

**So this is my first Junjou story. ~m~ I've always wanted to write one so here it is. XD Even though with four other stories I have no business starting this. .A. I dunno how often I'll update, but I'll do my very best not to leave you hanging too much. **

* * *

_-It's cold. I'm wet. I should just go home. _

_-So why don't you? _

_-I'm waiting for him... What if he shows and I'm not here?_

_-Face it old man, he isn't gonna show._

_-But what if? _

_-There is no 'what if'. There only is or isn't and he isn't. _

_-He isn't._

_-He isn't. _

_-Isn't_

_-Isn't_

_-Isn't... _

_

* * *

_

It was getting late and the impatient boy was frustrated. Miyagi's simple trip to the book store was taking longer than Shinobu had estimated it would take. He wanted to call the older man up, bitch him out, and demand that he return home immediately, but he didn't have the heart to do it. Every minute drifted away, slower than the one before it. When Miyagi wasn't around, time might as well be frozen.

It had been a few months since Shinobu had moved in with Miyagi and still it felt like they could never score enough time together. The younger would finish up with school and rush home only to find a note left by Miyagi claiming an unfathomable need to rush to the bookstore right away. Either that or halfway to their apartment a text would pop up on Shinobu's phone announcing that the object of his affection needed to stay late at work... Again.

It was almost as if, (Shinobu worried that it was.) Miyagi was avoiding him.

The loud ring of his cellphone broke Shinobu's train of though and startled him so much that he jumped. Embarrassed he looked around to see if anyone had noticed, even though he knew he was alone in the apartment. After checking the caller I.D. And confirming that it was someone he cared to speak with, he flipped open his phone.

"Hey." It was simple enough, although he would rather be yelling. It was like that every time Miyagi called. His heart would start racing and his voice would choke up. His palms would sweat a little and it was all he could do was try to focus on replying

"Oi... Kamijo and I are going to go for a drink together. I won't be back too late, I don't think. Don't wait up for me either way." Shinobu's heart sunk. He'd been stood up again.

"Right. See you." He didn't wait for a goodbye, shut his flip-phone and tossed it angrily to the floor. Sitting on the dining-room table was the stir-fry that Shinobu had worked hard to cook. He hadn't burnt it for once and was excited to see if Miyagi would enjoy it, but he wasn't coming home in time to eat.

Frustrated and angry the boy snatched up the plates and pitched them into the sink, not bothering to wash them. Instead he turned on the water and left it running, as a half-hearted attempt to get back at his boyfriend for leaving him high and dry again.

He started for his room, another reminder of how angry he was at Miyagi. When the man had invited him to move in, Shinobu had pictured sharing a room, sharing a bed, but instead found himself moving into the old spare room where Miyagi had once housed his books. The boy entered the room and slammed the door, grabbing a pen off his desk and notebook.

He threw himself down on his bed and began to write, words of anger flooding out like blood from a sliced vein. Everything he had wanted to say to Miyagi over the past couple of weeks appeared on the page like magic. By the time he was done venting, Shinobu had filled up five pages and was finishing up his sixth. After scrawling his name at the bottom and dropping the pen to the floor, exhausted, Shinobu put his head down on the notebook and went to sleep.

* * *

"I warned you not to drink so much..." Miyagi staggered a little, leaning against his co-worker for support. "Stupid."

"I normally hold my liquor better than this. Besides Kamijo, isn't this fun~?"

"It's a pain in the ass. Now get in the car. Stupid drunk."

His mind a little hazy, Miyagi opened the passenger side door and tumbled in, fumbling to get his seat belt on as Hiroki entered the driver's side. With an angry sigh his fellow teacher reached over and buckled the belt for him, irritation plain as day on the brunette's face.

"Look Kamijo, I'm sorry about this. I guess I just needed to unwind. I've been busy lately, you know that." The more Miyagi rambled the more irritated Hiroki got, but neither of them commented on it. "S'nice of you to drive me home. You know, I didn't know you could drive. Never took you for the driving type."

"Of course I can drive! What a stupid thing to say!" Hiroki snapped, his face flushing a bit. Miyagi smiled a little to himself. Oh what fun he had teasing his subordinate.

"So how are you and that kid doing?"

"W-What? I don't know what you mean."

"Don't be so coy Kamijou~"

"You're so damn annoying when you're drunk! Even more so than usual!" Hiroki hissed, smacking at Miyagi's arms as they wound around his waist. "Professor! Let go! I can't drive when you cling to me like that!"

"Sure you can." Miyagi insisted.

"No I can't! Let go!"

It all happened very quickly after that. The tired screeching, the metal crashing, glass breaking. Sure enough, Hiro couldn't drive with Miyagi's arms wrapped around his waist.

* * *

**Oh noes! D: The car crashed! How could something like that happen? XD Anyways. I hope I've caught your attention enough to want to read more. .A. And if not, then I guess that's how the cookie crumbles.**

**:D But come on, seriously. You wanna read more don'tcha?**

**Comments and critiques are loved but not required. ;w;**


	2. Coffee Flavored Kiss

**Welcome back lovelies~ This is another installment on my story. I promise things will get a little more interesting from here on in. O: This chapter contains kissin'! **

**Special thanks to IWasKuroBabyFirst for being my beta reader. ;w;**

* * *

"Professor... You are so. Fucking. Stupid." Hiroki's eyes blazed in anger as he surveyed the scene before him. Miyagi's car had collided with a light pole, leaving the front end smashed, the light broken off and now located on the ground. "Look what you made me do!"

"Ne~ Kamijou, weren't _you_ the one driving? Wouldn't that mean _you_ crashed?" Miyagi crooned, wrapping his arms around Hiro's waist and clinging. The brunette strained to push the drunken man off, all the while his profanities continued.

"I called in a friend to come pick us up and a tow truck." Miyagi nodded in response to Hiro, beginning to sober up a little from sitting out in the cool night air.

"Sorry for all the trouble Kamijo..."

"Yeah... Well... You owe me."

"Alright! We'll go out for drinks again," the dark-haired professor joked, shoving Hiroki playfully. The hot-head simply glared in response before declining.

"I was thinking more along the lines of you cleaning up our office. _Deep _cleaning it."

"Kamiiijooo~ You can't expect me to clean that big office all by myself!"

"I do expect it! You put me through hell tonight," Hiro huffed, batting at his superior angrily. The two stared at each other for a second, before sitting on the curb to wait, side-by-side. "It's too bad about your car. If you really want me to, I can pay for a _little_ bit of the cost. Though I shouldn't have to since I wasn't the reason we crashed."

"Don't worry about it. I can pay for it myself," assured the older man, shaking his head a little. His mood was rapidly declining as his sobriety was returning and the night was getting later.

_Shinobu is probably pissed... _Miyagi thought morosely, pulling out a cigarette to smoke. He could imagine it already, the scolding he would receive when he walked in the door. They had become common place in previous weeks, mostly due to Miyagi's strenuous work-load and late-nights at the school. _He's just a kid, so he doesn't understand that I can't always be there. _

It was true, to a point. He couldn't control how much work he ended up getting week to week, though he worked hard to try to keep up with it.

_I'm an adult and I have to do my job. I can't rush home to him just because he wants me to. _Though he tried to reason with himself, Miyagi wasn't finding any resolve. The truth was, he too would have liked to arrive home at a more reasonable hour to spend time with the grumpy boy. _I can't remember the last time he and I did anything special... _

"Professor, tow-truck's here. Are you listening?" Hiroki's sharp voice broke the elder's train of thought and Miyagi stood up, putting out his cigarette and following the brunette over to the remains of his car. He stood and oversaw the tow company as they hooked his car up and left with it. "Our ride is here, are you ready?"

"Yes."

* * *

Shinobu woke with a start, finding himself in darkness. Pushing himself up with his arms he rose from his bed and felt around in the dark until he found the light switch. He flipped it on and cringed from the suddenly flash of light, his eyes stinging a little. When they had adjusted he looked around his room, spotting the alarm clock on his desk.

4:36 AM.

"Miyagi?" He called, scrubbing at his face and emerging from his room. He yawned and called again. "Miyagi? Are you asleep...?" He was met with no reply. Quietly, he tip-toed to Miyagi's bedroom door, hoping that he might be able to sneak into bed with the older man. It was an embarrassing habit of his, but the best he could do until he could convince Miyagi to let them share the same room.

His heart pounded frantically as he opened the door and snuck in, feeling a little bit dizzy in the inky darkness. He found the edge of Miyagi's bed and crept up onto it, the springs squeaking just a little under his weight. His cheeks burned and he could feel the childish smile forming on his face as he reached over and pulled the blankets back.

His hand was met by cold sheets.

* * *

"S'a damn good thing it's Saturday," Miyagi groaned as Hiro lead him through the parking garage towards the elevator. "What time is it now?"

"Five in the fricken morning. Shut up, you're being too loud," the younger grumbled testily. "Had I known you lived all the way across town I would have left you out in the cold."

"How mean~"

"Shut up."

Miyagi shivered in the cold morning air, glancing over his shoulder at the lightening sky. He hoped that Shinobu had listened to him and hadn't been up all night waiting. His teeth had started to chatter by the time the elevator doors opened and he and Hiro stepped in.

"I'm not going to walk you to the door." Hiro brushed his bangs to the side as he spoke, setting his head back against one of the walls. "I'm tired."

"Be sure to have that kid tuck you in when you get home," Miyagi teased, though his body was anything but compliant as he wrapped his arms around Hiro and pulled him into a play-hug. The brunette's head whipped around to scold the offending hugger, but it was caught by one of Miyagi's hands.

Maybe he was still a little drunk, or maybe it was the cute tired expression that Hiroki had been wearing. He wasn't sure and he doubted he ever would be, all he knew was that Hiro was warm and his lips tasted good, like the coffee that the smaller man had been drinking in the car. Miyagi pressed Hiro against the elevator doors and pushed his tongue in past his coworker's lips. Finally he came to his senses just as the elevator opened up, causing the off balanced brunette to tumble backwards, Miyagi falling with him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" A red-faced Hiro demanded, pushing the taller man off himself and jumping to his feet. He didn't give Miyagi time to answer because he darted back into the elevator again so that the doors wouldn't close on him. Two startled eyes stared after the short man, even though he was probably floors down by that point.

Miyagi gathered his things off the floor, finding a small blue envelope within the pile. Figuring it was something Hiro had dropped he tucked it safely away in the bag he kept his books in and started for his door, still dazed from the strange kiss he had given moments before. Deciding to push the memory out of his mind, at least for the day, he unlocked the door to his apartment and strode in.

The first thing he noticed was the mass amount of water all over the kitchen floor. The second was the overflowing sink. The third was the empty couch.

"Idiot. You left the damn water on!" Miyagi hissed, rushing over and turning off the tap. He ran into his bathroom and gathered up a few towels to soak up the water with, praying that it hadn't flooded his downstairs neighbor's apartment. Exhausted from his misadventure, he finished his cleaning and staggered off to Shinobu's room to check on the him.

"You awake?" Miyagi found the boy curled up in bed, a stone-cold expression set into his face. "Shinobu-Chin?"

"I'm awake." Shinobu turned over, facing away from Miyagi as he answered back. "Why are you so late getting home?"

"I told you not to wait up."

"I didn't."

"Then what's the issue?" The dark-haired man asked, pulling out a cigarette and popping it into his mouth, although he hardly had the energy to smoke. "I've had a long night, I need to get some rest."

"Answer me."

"There's nothing to answer with. At least not right now. I'm going to bed."

"Miyagi!" Shinobu sat up, gray eyes blazing with anger. "Tell me where you were!"

"I told you where I was Shinobu. I was out with my coworker Hiroki." Irritated and exhausted, Miyagi's patience with his boyfriend was running thin.

"Doing what?"

"Will you drop it already? I'm an adult Shinobu! It's none of your business where I go or what I do or who I do it with!"

Ignoring Shinobu's scornful glares, Miyagi turned toe and walked out of the younger boy's room and went to his. He could hear small footsteps following him on the hardwood floor, the sound irking him. When he arrived at his room he quickly shut the door and locked it, making sure that Shinobu couldn't follow him.

"I'm not arguing with you anymore. Go back to sleep, it's too early to be up on a weekend." Miyagi fell into bed and refused to let his mind give the boy another thought.

* * *

Shinobu watched Miyagi exit his room and feeling a little pang of loneliness he got up to follow him. He wasn't happy with being yelled at, but was willing to let it go in the hopes of getting to lay down with Miyagi. Though he would never ask out loud, he hoped that Miyagi would get the hint. However, the click of the lock on the man's door sealed Shinobu out, crushing any hopes he had.

"I'm not arguing with you anymore. Go back to sleep, it's too early to be up on a weekend."

Shinobu stood outside Miyagi's door, listening for any movement inside, but there was only silence. When he finally moved away the sun was up and shining brightly through the windows. Morning had come and it brought with it a feeling of gloom, despite the gleaming rays of light.

Bored and alone Shinobu decided to do some homework, wanting to give himself a reason to be in a bad mood. His schoolbag was in Miyagi's car, so the boy went to retrieve the keys out of the man's book-bag. Inside he didn't find any keys, but a bright blue envelope. He debated with himself about what it might be for a moment.

He didn't want to open something that wasn't his, but then again, he was pretty mad at Miyagi. He could always claim it was in the name of revenge. Yanking the blue paper open he pulled out a folded note. He held his breath as he unfolded it and smoothed it out on the dining room table, running his eyes across it.

Most of the words were scrawled out and illegible, but the four at the bottom stuck out.

I love you. -Hiro

_'I was out with my coworker Hiroki' _Shinobu recalled, coming to the instant conclusion that Miyagi was seeing someone behind his back. With a heavy heart, he put the note back into the envelope and tossed it in the trash.

* * *

**D: Oh noes! A secret love affair with Hiro? How could that be? **

**~w~ You'll have to keep reading to find out~ **

**;w; Reviews are loved but not required.  
**


	3. Just A Child

**Did a small update on this chapter just so it makes a little bit more sense. :) Thank you to my editor and all those who have commented so far!**

* * *

When Miyagi had finally gotten enough sleep to account for all that he had lost, it was nearly noon. The sun had risen to a high point in the sky and was shining brightly through Miyagi's window. His body felt heavy and it begged for him to remain in bed, but he forced himself up, feeling around for his packet of cigarettes.

After a long relaxing smoke, he stepped out into the living room, wondering if Shinobu would be at the stove burning cabbage the way he always did. Instead he located the honey-haired boy sitting on the couch, eyes deep set in an expression of anger. The older man hesitated a bit before proceeding closer.

"Shinobu-Chin, what's the matter?" Miyagi asked, taking a seat across from the boy. While he waited for an answer, his mind quickly ran through possibilities. Changing the plans the night before? Going out for drinks rather than having dinner? Crashing the car? Getting drunk? Staying out all night? The harsh words spoken in the early hours of morning?

"You know what you did," Shinobu growled. "With that drinking buddy of yours."

"With Kamijo...?" Miyagi thought briefly over the night he'd spent with Hiro, his mind only able to focus on one event. The kiss. _Of course! How could I be so stupid? No wonder he's mad. _"That was an accident. I wasn't in a clear state of mind. While I take full responsibility for what I did, you have to understand that it wasn't intentional. A little laugh between old friends, that's all."

"Bullshit."

"Shinobu, I'm serious. Whatever you saw wasn't what you think."

"I'm not just going to drop it like it never happened!" Shinobu stood and indicated towards the door, his eyes not fully meeting Miyagi's. The dark-haired man turned and stared at the small stack of boxes piled up by the door, his blood running cold.

"Shinobu," Miyagi stood up, sighing lightly. He reached carefully over and placed his hands on the the younger of the two's shoulders, feeling them tremble lightly under his touch. "You're making an ocean out of a raindrop. It was just one time, it won't happen again."

Shinobu's head lowered a bit and Miyagi was willing to bet he was crying. It never failed to amuse him how sensitive the the younger one actually was underneath the angry facade he put up. Gently, Miyagi reached a hand up and swept it through the light colored strands, feeling Shinobu lean his head against his hand.

"You're right," Shinobu sighed, his voice weary. Hesitating for a moment he brought his head up to face the older man head on. Wearing a cold expression he continued, "It won't happen again. I'm breaking up with you."

Though his eyes were glazed over and he was trying hard to keep a straight face, Miyagi could see the sincerity of Shinobu's words. The more he stared, the more they burned through him, like parchment in a fire pit. Very stiffly he removed his hand from the other's soft hair and let it drop to his side, heavy as stone.

"Don't make rash decisions boy." Miyagi's voice was stern, but deep down it was more like a request. "I'm going to prove to you that you're in good standing with me."

"What do you mean?" As Shinobu turned to attempt an escape the older man grabbed his wrists in a fox-quick movement. Pulling his captive into his bedroom and shoving him down on the bed, Miyagi quickly pinned the gray-eyed boy down and began to remove his own shirt. "Miyagi-..."

"Hush."

Pushing his lips against Shinobu's, the dark-haired man worked on undressing him, their kisses getting more and more frantic. The fair-haired boy struggled a little as his shirt was removed and his pants undone, but finally his body went slack and Miyagi was able to work with more accuracy. He trailed his lips down Shinobu's chest and stomach, stopping to remove the the younger one's pants.

"I don't want it." At first, Miyagi could have sworn that he imagined the words they were so quiet, but one look at Shinobu's face confirmed them. With a shaky breath, he spoke again. "I don't want it. It's gross now."

"What on earth are you talking about Shinobu?" Miyagi grumbled, looking away quickly, unable to stand the hurt expression the other was wearing.

"I don't want to be kissed by the same lips that kissed him."

"Shinobu, honestly. You're acting like a child."

"I am a child." Voice icy-cold, Shinobu pulled his cellphone from his discarded pants pocket and used the camera to quickly snap a photo of the two of them before scrambling up and collecting his clothes. "So don't come near me anymore. Otherwise I'll tell everyone you raped me."

The air was heavy with strain from Shinobu's words and Miyagi could feel icy shock flooding his viens. Eventually, he nodded numbly, sitting up and grabbing his pack of cigarettes. He kept his gaze at the floor while Shinobu dressed himself, sucking a puff of smoke in here or there. They didn't exchange anymore words, just a quick sobering glance before the younger of the two turned tail and fled out of the apartment.

Putting out his cigarette, Miyagi laid back on his bed and closed his eyes, sinking back into sleep.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN! **

**~w~ Stay tuned for more drama~ XD**

**Comments and critiques are loved, but not required~ 3**


	4. Summer Plans

**Sorry that it's been so long since I wrote anything. Things after Christmas got a little hectic, but they're going well again. That and I needed to work on some of the other stories I' writing outside of .**

**I hope you enjoy this new chapter! **

**Also, a small note on Shinobu's sister's name. I _think_ if I read correctly that is the actual name that she has in the anime/manga. If anyone hears different, let me know! :D**

* * *

Shinobu had hardly left Miyagi's apartment when his body grew heavy and he had to stop and rest against one of the hallway walls. His head was still spinning from the events that had occurred in Miyagi's bedroom. He slid down and wondered what his next course of action would be. His original plan had been to catch a cab and go to his father's house, but he realized too late that he had left his wallet in the apartment.

Not wanting to go back for it, Shinobu quickly decided that it would be best just to walk to his sister's home. Though the two had never been very close, he knew that she wouldn't reject him. Rising from the floor he started for the elevator, stepping inside the moment the doors had opened, glad to find it vacant.

The ride to the bottom floor would take a few minutes, leaving the boy a small window of time to plan what he would do when he reached his sister's house. However, the only thing he could think about was the man in the apartment he had left behind. Not only had Miyagi outright admitted to the crime, he hadn't seemed the least bit guilty.

Though Shinobu had never approved of the relationship between Miyagi and his co-worker Hiroki, he had never truly thought that they actually had something going on. The thought angered the elevator's one passenger, for he felt very naive. _Of course_ he had never suspected that the two were involved, Miyagi had most likely planned it that way.

_I wouldn't be surprised if all that stuff about his high school teacher had been a lie too_. Shinobu thought hatefully, _All that crap about giving her up to be with me instead._ The ride to the bottom floor ended sooner than the youth had wanted. He strode out, holding his head up as high as he could, despite the stinging sensation in his eyes. The moment he had left the building he broke into a sprint.

Twenty feet to the main entrance of the apartment building.

Five and a half blocks to his sisters house

Fifteen feet to the front door.

Mere inches from Shinobu's fingers to the doorbell.

"Shinobu?" His elder's sister, Risako's voice washed over him like a wet summer rain and he set his head against her chest, breathing deeply to try and control himself better. Awkwardly his sister beckoned him inside, placing a hand on his back and leading him into the family room. "What on earth is the matter?"

"I've decided something." The gray-eyed boy murmured, his voice a little winded from the running he did to reach Risako's home. "I want to finish up my term here at the university from home, then after that I would like to return to Australia for the summer."

"That requires all this drama? Honestly Shinobu..."

"My old living arrangements aren't working out anymore, can I stay with you for the night?"

Sensing the unease in her brother's voice, Risako nodded lightly. After being settled in the guest room, Shinobu's sister left him alone. She had never really been very good at comforting him, even as children. Even still, Shinobu felt a small twinge of affection and gratitude towards her for allowing him to stay without interrogation. In recent times, Shinobu had been spiteful of Risako for marrying Miyagi. He wouldn't have considered taking shelter at her home, but his feeling had been quelled a little by the divorce.

Settling himself into the guest bed, the boy pushed Miyagi out of his mind, decided that it was better not to dwell for the time being. Exhausted and longing for a nap, he filled his head with the sandy beaches and bright clear water of Australia. The exotic animals that lived in the sky, trees, and on the earth. The hot sandy Outback. Then, blackness, as Shinobu had quickly fallen asleep.

* * *

Miyagi woke on Sunday morning to the sound of people in his house. Alarmed he had rushed out of bed to find out what the commotion was about. Several men stood in his living room, dressed all alike in work-bibs. They were carting Shinobu's packed boxes out of the apartment one by one and Miyagi realized with a little pang of sadness that these men were movers.

He watched the men walk in and out of his apartment, chattering cheerfully amongst themselves as they worked to clean out Shinobu's room. They payed no attention to Miyagi as he stood somberly in his living room observing. The last piece of furniture was moved out and the men headed with it, pushing a pink-page up under the door after shutting it lightly.

Sighing lightly Miyagi turned down the hallway and into the now empty room at the end of the hallway. It looked naked without all the furniture, without the little knick-knacks Shinobu had put up, without the posters of Australia. Only one thing remained, a small photograph face down on the floor. Miyagi crept over and picked it up by the edges, turning it face-up.

It was a photo of himself, markedly candid. Miyagi had never seen the picture nor could he remember when it was taken. It was an acceptable picture of himself, he was smiling at something, a cigarette hanging from his mouth. He was willing to guess that Shinobu had, had it stashed somewhere.

That thought made Miyagi smile a little, but the feeling it burnt out as soon as it had sparked up. Feeling a little annoyed at not being informed about the movers, the man walked over and snatched up the paper. He recognized it as a bill and, sneering, threw it in the waste basket. That's when a bright flash of blue caught his attention. He reached down and pulled an envelope from the basket, recognizing it as the one that Hiroki had dropped.

He noticed that the envelope was open and a note was sticking out, all crumpled. Wondering how his conscience would feel, he plucked the paper from the envelope and opened it up. Inside was a bunch of messy scrawl, matching one hot-headed coworker of Miyagi's. The letter was about as sappy as letters get, even signed at the bottom with 'I love you-Hiro'.

Highly amused by the gem he had found, Miyagi stashed the letter and envelope in his book-bag, wondering again how much guilt he would feel for teasing Hiro at work for writing something so embarrassing. Chuckling a little, the man pulled out his pack of cigarettes and drew out the last one. After placing it carefully between his lips and lighting it, a flood of heat and tobacco flooding his lungs, Miyagi set out to buy another pack.

On Monday morning Miyagi watched for Shinobu at school, but not to his surprise, the boy didn't show. All day the middle-aged man had grumbled to himself about Shinobu's lack of respect for attendance. He had forgotten all about Hiro's letter in his irritation and forgot to mention it. Even when Hiro had asked vaguely about the letter, Miyagi didn't admit to having it.

Then, on Tuesday morning, Miyagi ignored another absence from Shinobu. He buried himself in his literature classes and kept the boy out of his mind. Though his mood had improved from Monday, he still hadn't thought about the bright blue envelope in his bag. Even when Hiro insisted again, this time a little less vaguely, Miyagi didn't call the letter to mind.

It was on Wednesday that Miyagi had completely forgotten about Shinobu, deciding that the fight would simply blow over. It wouldn't be the first time Shinobu had threatened to move out and the man doubted that it would be the last. He continued his ritual of fawning over Hiro, so much so that Hiro couldn't bring himself to ask about the letter.

Thursday morning was very much like Wednesday, though Miyagi could now feel a small ache of worry deep down inside. Shinobu had disappeared for days at a time before, but the current time felt different to the literature professor. He spent the day smoking his lungs up and doing anything but the work that was piling up on his desk, Hiro inquired again about the letter, claiming that it was a friend's. Unable to find the letter in his bag, it went un returned for yet another day.

By Friday, Miyagi was back to being in a sour mood. He ran out of cigarettes long before his first class of the day and didn't have another chance until lunch to find them, which he spent feverishly catching up on the work he had procrastinated the day before. Hiro made an off hand comment about the messy state of Miyagi's desk, and finally the letter was located.

"Why is it open?" Hiro gaped at the torn envelope, his eyes scanning back and forth between it and his superior. Finally breaking out of his crotchety old-man state, Miyagi grinned widely.

"I didn't open it." Miyagi cooed, spinning his office chair around to face Hiroki. The brunette's face was a mix of horror and embarrassment, the site making Miyagi grin even more. "I love you~ XOXO Hiro~"

"It didn't have X's and O's!"

"Are you sure~? I saw some."

Gasping a little, the shorter man opened the letter and smoothed it out on his desk. His eyes narrowed a little and slowly they turned back to Miyagi. Sure enough, there were no X's or O's. Hiro charged towards the older of the two and Miyagi held his arms out like he was expecting to be embraced. The two collided and the office chair caught, toppling over backwards.

Hiroki, now on top of his fellow professor, was practically foaming at the mouth. His eyes were livid with anger and all Miyagi could do was laugh. His laughed turned into a pout and the older man locked his arms around Hiro, pulling the brunette down against his chest and hugging him tightly.

"Why didn't I get a love letter~?"

"Like I'd give you one! It was that damn brat who opened it, wasn't is?" Hiro spat, struggling to get free. "The dean's son!"

"What about my son?"

Both men sprang away from one another, exchanging nervous glances as the dean of literature, and their boss, entered the room. His face was a little melancholy at the mention of Shinobu. It was then that Miyagi remembered the honey-haired boy. Setting up his overturned office chair quickly, he sat down and looked up at the dean.

"Where is Shinobu-Chin anyways? I haven't seen him around." Miyagi asked casually, getting an odd look from Hiro.

"What...?" The dean began, looking a little confused. "He was living with you for help with his schooling, wasn't he?"

"Well, yes Sir, he was... You know kids these days though, won't tell adults anything."

"I guess you're right. He's been finishing up the term at home. He should have turned in his final essay to you on Monday. Did you not get it?"

"Ah-..." Miyagi mumbled, rising and flipping through his stacks of papers. Finally he came upon an essay with Shinobu's name on it. "No it's right here."

"He dropped it off while you were teaching a class the other day." Hiro confessed, looking a little guilty from where he sat at his desk. "I didn't think anything about it."

"It's alright." Miyagi lied, irritated. Shinobu knows my teaching schedule. He's avoiding me. Not that I blame him, but-...

"Has he been ill?" Miyagi wondered, looking at the dean. Shinobu's father nodded his head a little and then shook it.

"Well... It's not really a sickness persay..." The dean began, looking thoughtful. "I think he got broken up with by his girlfriend."

"His... Girlfriend?"

"Well, yes. He's been telling me about this girl he's been seeing. She apparently loves literature and goes to this school as well. I've never seen her, but you can just tell he's pretty stuck up on her."

"How wonderful." Miyagi groaned, getting a sinking feeling that he was the 'girlfriend' that Shinobu spoke of. "Why do you think they broke up?"

"Well... Shinobu's been walking about the house with this real vacant expression for a day or two. Of course, he'll be fine now that's he's gone back to Australia." Miyagi nearly choked on his own spit at the dean's words. "You didn't know that either?"

"No! He failed to mention that part! When did he leave?"

"Early Wednesday morning." Shinobu's father explained, looking a little confused by the startled expression on Miyagi's face. The literature professor sunk down into his chair, his heart sinking miles and miles down into the earth. "Don't worry about him Professor You. He'll be alright. He'll spend a few weeks on the beach with those 'Beach-Babes' they have down there and forget all about that girl."

"What if he was the one who dumped the girl?" Miyagi mumbled, lighting up a cigarette.

"Then she'll be alright. They need time apart in order to recover. Don't worry about Shinobu, he'll be alright and so will that girl. I never knew you were so concerned about your students."

"Well, I try."

"How would you feel about staying on for some summer classes?" The dean asked, beaming a little. "If you handle them correctly, I might consider giving you a promotion."

"A promotion?" Both Hiro and Miyagi gaped at the dean, who nodded eagerly.

"I have the paperwork all drawn up if you're interested. That's why I came down here in the first place."

"Thank you Sir." Miyagi stammered, taking a small bright-white packet of pages. The dean nodded and turned to leave, closing the door lightly behind himself.

"Congratulations." Hiro huffed, looking only a little jealous. "But... What about that kid?"

"I'll have to think about it." The older man confessed, clutching the packet gently. "I'm going to take my work home with me tonight. Have a good weekend Kamijou."

"Yeah, you too."

"Be sure to give that boy your letter." With a final smirk of mirth, Miyagi ducked the book Hiro threw at him and hauled the stack of papers off his desk and out the door. After tucking the papers in his car, he got in the driver's side, pulling the dean's packet off the top of the stack and looking at it.

_If I accept this... I won't be able to go anywhere this summer. _Miyagi thought sadly, remembering the bad fight that he and Shinobu had, had. _Maybe that's for the best._

* * *

**D: What will happen now?**

**Sadly, even I don't know. XD**


	5. Room TwoSixteen

***gets shot to death* O3O Sooo... How have you all been since my last update? Good I hope. XAX Please don't kill me. I got really busy. Anyways, I'll cut to the chase. **

**PLEASE NOTE: If you happen to be from Australia and you have stumbled upon this cute little Junjou fic, please don't kill me for making up a fake place in Australia as well as possibly not knowing much about Australian culture or slang or any of that fun stuff. I did a little bit of research, but I think you kind of have to be there to get the full picture. XAX So please don't be offended if I don't know something. I tried very hard to keep it simple. The city that Shinobu goes to study in is 1290423% fictional and non-existent.**

**Also, it's not very important, but for anyone who's curious {This will make more sense if you actually read the chapter.} ten kilometers is about six miles. I think m If my math is right. **

**As always, my lovely GF proofread this for me. So if you see typos, go shoot her instead of me. *wink wink*  
**

* * *

Maybe it had been too much to dream that Miyagi would come to the airport to stop him. Despite being furious with the older man, Shinobu had still hoped that it might be like the first time. Miyagi would show up and say something in his endearing Miyagi-Fashion and they would stroll home together, but as Shinobu stepped off the plane in Alberdin, Australia, he realized it was just that: a dream.

It had been a while since Shinobu had last seen the bright bustling town and as he exited the plane terminal, he felt a little more confident about his decision to leave Japan. After all, his only reason for staying behind to go to Mitsuhashi University was to hang around with Miyagi and take his literature course. There was no way he was going to do that now.

Shinobu pulled out his cellphone, flipping it open to send his sister a text to let her know he had arrived. A picture of Miyagi that Shinobu had taken in secret was set as the wallpaper, there to mock him. With a slight scowl, the honey-haired boy went to his phone settings and changed it to a default blue background. He then decided to text his sister while he walked towards the baggage claim.

Once he had found his bag, he proceeded outside with the intent of catching a taxi. To his delight, there was one parked outside waiting for a passenger. Shinobu quickly hailed the driver and walked over when he was noticed. A quirky blond boy, looking no older than Shinobu himself, gave him a crooked smile and popped the trunk.

"You don't look like you're from around here." The driver noted, taking in Shinobu's appearance.

"I'm from Japan." It was a simple response, but the blond found it funny and began to laugh. Two bright gray eyes glinted angrily at the driver.

"I'm sorry, just your pronunciation, that's all."

"Can you please just take me to my destination?"

"I'm sorry Mate, just hop in and I'll get you there in a jiffy." The blond flashed another smile at Shinobu, but it went unreturned, as Shinobu wasn't in the mood for games. He climbed into the back seat and quickly buckled his seat belt. "My name's Colin by the way. Mind telling me yours?"

"Shinobu." The passenger's voice was glazed with annoyance as he awaited more laughter. Instead the driver, Colin respectively, turned around and offered his hand. Shinobu took it shyly and the two boys shook.

"So Shinobu, what brings you all the way down here?"

"I'm here studying abroad."

"That right? Where you are you studying?"

"Just the local college here in town." Shinobu murmured, glancing out the window. He wasn't sure why, but since shaking Colin's hand, he couldn't look the boy in the face. He strained to examine the blond in the reflection of his window. There was nothing really stunning about Colin, blue eyes, long blond hair in a pony-tail, plain face. He seemed very average to Shinobu, but also very fascinating.

"Looks like you and I are going to be good mates, because that's where I'm studying too." Colin exclaimed, stealing a backwards glance at his passenger. "Hang on! I've seen you before... You were at my mate Will's beach party! The skinny little bloke who almost drowned, remember?"

"I really don't recall that." Shinobu protested. However, the memory was suddenly very lucid in his mind and very embarrassing. He quickly sunk down in his seat, hoping that Colin couldn't see him in the rear view mirror, though he was willing to bed that he could. "You can just let me out up here, I'll walk the rest of the way."

"Can't do that mate. We 'ave nearly ten kilos to go!"

"I want out."

"As I said, I can't do that. Besides, then I wouldn't make any money." Shinobu glared angrily at the blond driver, cursing him silently inside his head. "I'm not trying to make you feel bad about that party we went to, I was just remembering that, that's where I met you."

"Well don't." The honey-haired boy snapped, clenching his fists a little. He wasn't exactly sure why he was so angry, but he guessed that it simply had to do with all the brooding he had been doing recently. "I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

"S'all right. Not the first time someone's yelled at me. I'm a cabbie driver after all."

The two boys fell silent for the rest of the ride, with the exception of Colin's occasional utterance of lyrics to whatever song he was listening to on the radio at the time. Shinobu meanwhile fiddled with his carry-on bag, pretending he was searching very thoroughly for something. Meanwhile Colin's bright blue eyes kept flickering in his direction.

_He should keep his eyes on the road._ Shinobu thought angrily, feeling a bit flustered from being watched.

Much to Shinobu's relief, the ten kilometers ended quicker than he thought it would and they turned the corner into the school's parking lot. The blond parked and eagerly hopped out of the car, coming around to open Shinobu's door. He held out his hand to Shinobu and the gray eyed boy gave him a blank sort of look before beginning to root through his bag for money.

"How much is it?" Shinobu asked, glancing back up at Colin, who just grinned.

"I'm not asking for your money yet. I'm helping you out of the car." Colin's grin grew obnoxiously wider and Shinobu quickly batted his hand away.

"I don't need that." Shinobu quickly exited the back of the car and scurried around to the trunk, giving the driver a huff of annoyance as he waited for the trunk to be popped. Before he could act Colin had reached in and seized the suitcase, insisting that he carry it up to Shinobu's room for him. Begrudgingly, the smaller one was forced to agree, hoping there wasn't any extra fees for the help.

"What room number?" The Aussie asked, glancing over his shoulder some.

"Room two-sixteen."

"Did you say two-sixteen?"

"Yes..." Shinobu was growing more and more impatient. He pushed the blond's hand away from his luggage and grabbed onto it, marching up to his dorm room door and unlocking it.

"I'm rooming in two-sixteen." Colin's voice was oddly calm, despite Shinobu's harsh treatment of him. The Japanese boy turned around and stared at his cab driver, a look of horror plain as day on his face. "As I said before in the car, you and I are going to be real good mates!"

"Kamijooou... I can't do it." Miyagi was bent over the packet that his boss had given him, pen in hand, ready to sign on the dotted line. He had been debating with himself all weekend about what his plans for the summer would be. It's not like he needed the cash and since Shinobu was long gone, there was nothing to keep him busy.

"Just sign the damn thing! What's stopping you?" Hiroki demanded, grabbing at Miyagi's writing hand and pushing it towards the paper.

"Kamijou, can I ask you something?" His superior's voice was oddly grim, enough to make Hiro stop and take notice. He quickly returned to his desk and turned his office chair to face the dark-haired man. "Let's just say, hypothetically, there's a book report I'm doing."

"A book report...? Isn't that kind of elementary?"

"Just listen! Let's say, I'm doing a book report and in this book report the book is about a uh-... Homosexual student-teacher relationship."

"I-... Would have never guessed that you were into such things Professor-..." Hiro mumbled, staring down at the floor.

"I'm not, but it was for the report, like I said. In the book, the teacher and the student got into a really bad fight and the student ended up switching schools to get away. Would... It have been wrong for the teacher to go after the student and try to make amends?"

"It depends on the age of the student." The brunette said thoughtfully. "I mean, how old was the kid?"

"Eighteen."

"Well, since the student wasn't a minor, I don't see any issues."

"Although, there was a bit of an age gap." Miyagi said, his voice a little dark. "See, the teacher was twice the kid's age!"

"That's a huge gap!" Hiro gawked, his eyes widening a little. "In that case, wouldn't it just be smarter for the teacher to let the kid go? It's kind of like buying an old car that doesn't run right anymore..."

_Thanks Kamijou..._ Miyagi thought, wincing a little at his co-workers words.

"Pl-Plus the homo thing is a little-..." Hiro stammered, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"Oh~ Kamijiou, you're not one to talk~"

"I don't know what you're talking about! I have a lot of work, so if that's all you have to ask about, then I'm going to get back on it."

"Did you ever give him that note?" The older man asked, cooing a little.

"You must have drank too much over the weekend Professor!" Hiro flailed around a little, his face bright red, knowing _exactly_ what Miyagi was talking about. The older of the two smiled a little and decided to leave the testy man alone, he turned his face back to the forms in front of him.

_I'm an old car... One that doesn't run right._ The man's heart sank a little, recalling his co-worker's words. It was true, he was a lot older than Shinobu and he didn't understand a lot of what the younger boy wanted. Though he doubted at this point that the other boy wanted anything from him now.

Miyagi's hands felt a little numb as he pulled out his pack of cigarettes. He drew one of them from the box, his fingers delicate on it. He pushed the stick into his mouth and held it even more carefully between his lips as he lit it up. His hand once again picked up it's pen. Miyagi took a long inhale of smoke and blew it out again, the heat stinging his eyes a little. When the smoke cleared, his signature stared up at him from the bleach-white paper.

It was done.

* * *

**Short chapter is short. VmV **


	6. The New Student

**I'm sorry it's been a million years since I last updated. My internet has been out and I hadn't had a chance to write more due to that damn writers block! So please enjoy this and I promise not to take so long with the next update! XD**

**Also, I think Miyagi's first name is spelled You, but it sounds like Yoh, so I used that so there wouldn't be any confusion.**

* * *

Shinobu was like a tank, or maybe a snow-plow, his legs carrying him furiously towards the main office to the school. It wasn't so much that he hated the pretty Aussie as it was that he pushed all of Shinobu's button's. That and Shinobu was still pretty embarrassed about the mouth-to mouth he had received at the first and last beach party he'd ever been to.

The memory was still vivid, though it had been almost a year earlier. The crisp coldness of the water, the salt burning his eyes, the aching in his lungs. There was something more however. The sharpest recollection was of warm sweet lips. The honey-haired boy cringed a little, trying hard to not focus too much on that particular part of his flashback.

"Do I really bug you that much?" Collin asked, his voice like a siren over all the others in the corridor. Shinobu hadn't realized he had followed. "I didn't plan this out or anything, it's just a coincidence."

"I know that..." Two gray-eyes focused on blue ones. "I'm just going to pick up my schedule." It was a lie, but the disappointment on Collin's face made Shinobu feel guilty.

"That right? I'll come with you then!"

It was like you couldn't suck the sunshine out of the blond's smile, or his hair. He radiated a warmth that both fascinated and bugged the Japanese boy. He seemed like he didn't have a care in the world, like everything was all rainbows and unicorns. At least that was the vibe that Shinobu was getting from him.

"So why did you come all the way here to the Outback?" Collin asked, his eyes doing their flickering thing again, glancing off Shinobu like a rubber ball on concrete. "Well, besides the obvious."

"What's the obvious?" The smaller asked, looking around a little. The Aussie waved his hand lightly at a group of girls, huddled by a locker. They were all tall, beautiful, busty, chatting on cellphones and putting on lipstick.

"The babes. Every man comes here to hook a sheila or two."

"You mean those girls over there? Why would I be here for them?" Collin cocked one of his eyebrows up questioningly at Shinobu, who quickly recovered with, "I just got out of a relationship. I'm not really looking right now."

"Ah. Sorry mate, I didn't know."

"That's alright." Shinobu cast his gaze on the girls again, wondering what it was about them that fascinated other men so much. Sure, they had nice faces, pretty smiles, and of course, big boobs. Overall he was unimpressed. "What about you? Are you into those girls?"

"Nah, I have a girlfriend." As if being called, a petite brunette girl stepped out of a classroom and approached Collin and Shinobu. The girl was smaller than the others in many ways, but her face was sweeter. Long eyelashes batted up at the two boys from beyond dark eyes.

"Shinobu!" The girl gasped in delight. The honey-haired boy suddenly realized, with a lot of shock, that he knew the girl before him. They had sat next to one another in literature class during Shinobu's first year in university. He remembered that her name was Dollie. "How have you been?"

"I'm good." Shinobu said shyly, averting his gaze.

"You know this bloke?" Collin asked, glancing between the two. "He's my roomie."

"You be nice to him Collin." The dark-haired girl teased, taking one of the blond's hands. Shinobu couldn't help but frown a little, but he was unsure why. He felt disappointed. "It's such a small, small world."

"You're telling me. I met Shinobu last year at that party that Jacko had."

"I need to pick up my schedule." The smaller boy interrupted before the couple could say any more about the party. He excused himself from their company with a quick promise to meet up later.

* * *

Miyagi regretted his decision to teach summer school. Before he had even gotten into the lesson plan for the summer, one boy, a Kenta Yoshimi, had already started giggling about the cover of one of the books that Miyagi had handed was a simple painting of a woman, but she was naked. _Of course_, out of all the classes the older man could have gotten stuck with, he had to get stuck with the one full of immature boys.

_They're in university for crying out loud, who acts like that? _Miyagi thought disdainfully. He turned away from his ten blank-faced students and wrote his name on the board. He felt like a fool for thinking that he would get a class of a few kids that were passionate about literature, enough to keep him happy and busy all summer. Instead he was stuck with all the kids who had failed during term.

"I'm Yoh, Miyagi. I'll be teaching you this-..." The door to the classroom opened. Another setback and it was only day one. Testily Miyagi turned towards the interruption and was shocked to find his ex-wife standing in the doorway.

"Sorry I'm late. _Professor_." Calmly and without much eye contact, Risako gathered a stack of reading books and headed to her seat. Obviously sensing some tenseness between the teacher and this new student, the others in the room began to whisper and look at one another.

"Don't make a habit of it."

* * *

"You should have seen your face when I walked in." It wasn't till after class that Miyagi got to catch up with Shinobu's sister and ask her what she was doing in his classroom.

"Are you saying you did that just to tease me?" Miyagi asked, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it up. He opened the door to his apartment and let the dark-haired woman inside. "If you're not serious, I'd like it if you didn't bother me."

"My boyfriend is out of town for the summer and so my father, your boss, suggested I take a summer class."

"You hated literature last time I checked."

"That's because you always made it seem so boring." Risako laughed, sitting down on the couch and turning her head up to look at her ex-husband. "I figured I would give it one more try before I decided it was a lost cause. You should be honored. I picked you as my professor out of all the others."

"I-... Guess that's flattering." Miyagi admitted, cautiously taking a seat next to her on the couch.

"I also need to talk to you about Shinobu." Miyagi tensed a little, taking an extra long drag of his cigarette, eyes straying to Risako's face.

"What about Shinobu? Isn't he back in Australia now?"

"I know all about you and him, so don't try and hide anything."

The information came as a bit of a shock to the dark-haired man, so much so that he put out his smoke long before it was finished.

"What did you want to ask me?" His voice was stern. It was the kind of voice he used to use with Shinobu when the boy wouldn't get a simple concept through his head. He hoped that, that same lack of absorbing information didn't run in the family.

"When did you two start your relationship?" Miyagi's ex sounded curious, too curious for her own good.

"Uh-... It's a little awkward that..."

"I'm not here to judge you Yoh, I just want to know the truth." Now she sounded stern.

"Maybe a year ago. It was back when he was staying with me during that two weeks. Just came waltzing up to me and started spouting all this stuff about destiny and taking responsibility." Miyagi smiled a little, though it didn't stay long. "I'm not sure when it really started. It just sort of happened."

"Those kind of things don't just happen." Risako scoffed, crossing her arms. "Is that why you didn't bother with me when we were married? Because you're gay?"

"I'm not really-... It's not-... Isn't-... Look, it's not like that. Things were very different when you and I were married."

"Obviously." With a annoyed sigh Shinobu's sister pressed on with her questioning, making Miyagi feel like he was in an interrogation. "What was the relationship like? I want all the gory details."

"What kind of gory details?"

"I'm not asking you to tell me what you did in bed with him Yoh, I'll save that for another day."

Miyagi groaned inwardly, setting his head back against the couch. He was beginning to wonder how Risako had figured things out. Did Shinobu tell her everything before he left for Australia?

_Well wasn't that nice of him. _Miyagi thought furiously.

"What was Shinobu like? Was he happy? Did he act different?" Risako's voice had softened a bit and she looked almost concerned.

"I assume he was happy. He'd just recently moved from the apartment next door into my spare bedroom. I wouldn't say he acted different, but there were things he did that to this day I still don't understand."

"Why did you guys break up?"

"How do you know about us in the first place?" It was Miyagi's turn to ask a question, and he gave his ex a look that let her know that he wouldn't answer anymore of hers till his was resolved.

"Men don't just casually move in with other men. Especially not two who have nothing in common that would explain a friendship. That and he said your name a few times in his sleep while he stayed at my house, before he left for Australia. Men don't just say other men's names."

"That... Sort of doesn't answer my question."

"Women just have a sixth sense about these kind of things. He's my little brother and although we're not close, I've got him pretty much figured out. I just put two and two together." Miyagi's ex-wife casually shrugged, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"It's my fault we broke up." Two dark eyes stared up at the ceiling as the owner of them spoke in a low voice. "I was out drinking with a friend of mine and I ended up drinking more than I should have. I uh-... Well, I kissed that buddy of mine while we were in the elevator and somehow or another, Shinobu found out about it."

"You cheated on him?"

"Says the woman who walked out on me with another man. That's the pot calling the kettle black, isn't it?"

"That's different, you didn't care anyways." Rolling her eyes, Risako stood up from Miyagi's couch and turned to face him. "I think that is everything I wanted to know. I'll leave now. See you tomorrow in class." The dark-haired man took a slow look around his living room, finding it to be very cold now that Shinobu had left and his sister was planning to leave.

"You could stay for dinner." Miyagi offered, taking the woman by surprise. "If you would like."

"You miss him, don't you? It's a little odd, seeing you hung up over someone, when before you didn't give a damn."

"I don't give a damn. It's over and that's that." Though Miyagi knew it was a lie, and figured that Risako knew it too, he still said it. A soft hand brushed along his face and he turned his gaze up on his ex, puzzled by the look of concern she was wearing. "You never made that kind of face when we were married."

"I didn't have a reason to." She replied, her voice oddly quiet. Her body grew closer to Miyagi's until she was almost sitting his his lap, her face inches away from his.

"Risako, you have a boyfriend."

"He won't be back for a couple more weeks." Miyagi opened his mouth to protest, but instead got a mouth full of tongue. He wanted to push her off, wanted to kick her out and find a way to get her switched out of his class at the university, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything except kiss her back.

* * *

**Clearly, I'm writing a soap opera~ **


	7. Help From Hiroki

**Hello one and all! This is another super-late update to my beloved MiyagiXShinobu fan fiction. It's back with an extra dose of drama. So please enjoy!**

**And as always, thank you to my lovely editor~  
**

* * *

Miyagi woke to sunlight streaming through the windows of his living room. From the couch he scanned the room, surprised to find it in a bit of a mess. His clothes strung all over the floor, coffee table pushed out of place, couch cushions mysteriously missing. Confusion swept over him as he struggled to figure out why his apartment was so messed up. The sound of a shower running in his bathroom caught his attention.

"Oi! Save me some hot water Shinobu-..." Miyagi cut himself off quickly, hoping that Risako hadn't heard what he said. The shower turned off ominously and the dark-haired man launched himself up off the couch, scrambling into his pants. "Shit!"

"Why the sudden rush?" His head whipped around to see Risako standing in his hallway, a towel daintily wrapped around her body.

"I've got to get ready and get to class." Miyagi lied, pushed past her and into the bathroom.

"I guess I should have expected this from you."

"Expect what?" He hesitated, waiting to hear her answer before he shut the door.

"We had pretty amazing sex last night, don't you think?" Glancing over her shoulder, Risako's eyes ran down the length of Miyagi's body, a sly smile on her face. "But I guess I kind of expected you to brush me off like you always did."

"I don't really have time to talk to you about it." The man eased his hand against the door. When it was shut, he locked it for good measure. He hopped into the shower, cold water blasting him, much to his annoyance. However, it was good for waking him up and helping him to think more clearly.

_What have I gotten myself into? _Miyagi though hysterically, his body starting to shiver. The water felt like icy little knives, driving themselves into his back, until finally his skin had gone numb. _I'm probably going to have to get professional help after this..._

* * *

"You feeling okay?" Collin stood in the doorway of he and Shinobu's bathroom, staring at the honey-haired boy sprawled out on the floor. The blond began to look increasingly concerned when he noticed his roommate's pale complexion.

"Fine." Shinobu groaned, though he didn't feel 'fine'. His whole body ached and his head was spinning. "I think it's allergies."

"Oh yeah, you left before summer set in last year, didn't you?"

"I'll be fine."

"Let me run to the store and get you something to take for it." The taller boy offered, his Aussie voice soothingly calm. "I'll be back before you can say 'kangaroo'." Yanking some shoes on, Collin gave Shinobu a reassuring smile before heading out the door.

"Kangaroo." Shinobu mocked, sitting up and dragging himself back over to his bed, tripping over his suitcase on the way. He hadn't had a chance to unpack, forced to go out to dinner with Dollie and Collin to 'celebrate' his return to Australia. The Japanese boy soon learned that, that meant he was to be dragged all over town till past midnight.

_At least classes haven't started yet._ He thought, glancing over the schedule on his nightstand. It was like fate was trying to tell him something and he didn't like the message. Every single one of his summer classes ended up having Collin in them. No matter what the gray-eyed boy did, he couldn't escape the Aussie.

As he was plotting ways to get his schedule changed, he must have dozed off, because a soft voice was calling his name.

"Shinobu?" For a moment, the honey-haired boy pretended it was Miyagi, although the severe Australian accent made it really hard to pretend. "Shinobu, I got the medicine."

"I heard you." The smaller barked back, opening his eyes to stare up at Colin. "Thanks."

"Let me help you take it. You might want to wipe your nose too, it's running..."

Flushing in embarrassment, Shinobu slapped his hand over his nose and sat up slowly, taking the box of tissues that Colin offered to him. After cleaning himself up some, he was forced by the blond to swallow some sticky black liquid. It was bitter and burned Shinobu's throat all the way down, but he did his best to keep a straight face.

"What was that?" Shinobu groaned, drinking some of the water the blond offered.

"It's an old bush remedy for allergies. You know, sunflower oil, a little vinegar, vodka, 'n some wallaby piss."

"P-Piss?" The blond whipped his head around to glare at Colin, while the Aussie just smiled. The offender reached out his hand and ran his finger through Shinobu's soft hair, doing so cautiously.

"It's a joke Mate, it's just some allergy medicine."

"I want to see the bottle." Shrugging away from the Aussie's touch, he held out his hand. Colin shrugged before pulling a clear bottle out of his bag and offering it to the smaller one, smiling in amusement as Shinobu's gray eyes ran along the ingredients list. He stopped at a longer word and pointed to it. "What's Cetirizine?"

"Shinobu, calm down. It's just allergy medication. I don't know what Cetwhatever is, but I'm sure it's nothing bad. The medicine will only make you feel better. Might make you sleepy, but I'm sure that's the only risk." Again Colin reached over to touch some of the boy's soft hair and again Shinobu pulled away.

_He's really grabby. _The honey-haired boy thought in annoyance, though the action also made him feel dazed. _It's just the medicine I took. It's making my head all funny. _This conclusion seemed agreeable, so Shinobu decided to stick with it.

"Dollie and I are going to head to the beach. I'll be back to check on you soon." Wearing a wounded expression, Colin retracted his hand and moved away from Shinobu. "Are you going to be okay here by yourself?"

"I'll be fine." The Japanese boy assured, pulling his sheets up and turning his back to the taller boy. He listened to Colin's footsteps, then the door to their room opening. (It had a habit of squeaking at the hinges.) "It would be kind of nice if you could check on me later though."

_Smooth. _Shinobu scolded himself, feeling a light shimmer of heat creep across his face.

"I'll be sure to do that." Colin was smiling, the boy in the bed could heard that in the way the Aussie spoke. He wanted to see that smile, though he wasn't sure why. He didn't dare look though, for fear that he might like it more than he was supposed to.

* * *

Miyagi had never dreaded teaching so much in his entire life. Not only had he gotten stuck with a bunch of hopeless cases, but Risako was attending his class as well. The situation of the night before was beginning to sink in and the more it sunk, the more Miyagi felt like he was drowning. He had, had sex with his ex-wife, not only that, but just after breaking things off with Shinobu.

It made the older man feel a little weak thinking about it. There was no way that Shinobu would be able to find out, but the dark-haired man still felt uneasy about the situation. He didn't want to face Risako, but it was impossible to escape her. He felt like he was being pulled in a million directions, but all he really wanted was to stand still and rest for a while.

"Kamijo?" Miyagi entered the office he shared with the brunette, surprised to find the small man inside. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, Professor. I just came to get some things to work on over the summer. I figured I could make some new lesson plans for next year." Hiroki explained, packing a dozen or so folders into a file box to take home with him. "How is your summer teaching gig working out?"

"It's working."

"You don't sound very enthusiastic. Why did you take the job?"

"That's a long story..." Miyagi confessed, pulling out a cigarette and pushing it into his mouth. "I don't have time to tell you all the details, plus I'm sure you have better things to do."

"I'm free today." Hiro said, looking at Miyagi with a curious expression. "Why don't you and I have lunch or something?"

"Are... You sure?"

"Sure. I'll see you back here in the office at noon."

"Ka~Mi~Jo~ You're too kind! I knew I could count on you!" Miyagi exclaimed, throwing his arms around the brunette's shoulders and tugging him around.

"I swear, if you try anything like the other night-..." Hiro's voice was like ice and it was enough to remove the older man from him without much effort. Miyagi did manage to get back at him by making kissy lips at him and batting his eyes, to which Hiro lashed out with a large book aimed at his professor's head.

"Seriously though Kamijou..." Miyagi sighed, rubbing his head from the impact of Hiroki's make-shift weapon. "It means a lot to me."

"Anytime. Just don't do anything weird."

"Me? Never."

* * *

"Okay Professor, start at the beginning." Hiro murmured, staring across the room at his superior, who's face was pulled in a mask of horror. It was obvious that the older man wasn't looking forward to explaining the situation now that he'd had time to think things over, but it was too late to get out of it. "Whatever you say to me with be kept quiet."

"You know how I was-... 'Dating' that boy?" Miyagi asked, somewhat shakily. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest and his voice wasn't coming out clearly, like he had something stuck tight in his throat. Risako had pulled a Shinobu move, glaring at him wordlessly all through his lecture, letting her anger boil over like water in a pot. The hot steam burning the man's skin.

"Oh... That high school one who started here at the beginning of term... The chairman's son?"

"Yeah, Shinobu-Chin."

"Isn't he also your ex-wife's brother?" Hiro asked, scowling. He was beginning to see at least a small glimpse of Miyagi's problems and even he didn't like how things were looking.

"Yep, that's the one." Miyagi exhaled slowly, averting his gaze. "Well, I guess he found out about you and I's little adventure in the elevator and he took it to heart."

"Well, I would be angry too!"

"Yeah, well... He ran off to Australia and I haven't heard from him since."

"I don't recall seeing him that night." The brown-eyed man sounded thoughtful. "Can you think of anything else you might have done to upset him?"

"He and I hadn't been getting on very well due to busy schedules. We hadn't spent much time together." Miyagi confessed, his heart sinking. It was just another reminder of how much he missed Shinobu, especially now that the boy was all the way in another country. He missed his voice, his face, his bad cooking, everything. "He never tells me anything, so half the time I don't know what he's thinking."

"I know what you mean..." Hiro huffed, looking miffed all the sudden. "Nowaki and I-..." Embarrassment flooded the younger man's face and he quickly cut himself off, clearing his throat a few times. "Anyway Professor, have you tried contacting him?"

"Well, that's the other half of this story. I've thought about calling him, sure, but he's kind of blackmailing me."

"With what?"

"Um-... How to put this... Things got a little hot and heavy and he didn't much like that, so he took a photo. I'm pretty sure if I mess with him right now, he'll show that picture off to someone." Deep down though, Miyagi knew it was merely an excuse. Shinobu really wasn't the type for blackmail, at least not the type who could be good at blackmail.

"You've really dug yourself a hole, haven't you?" Hiro gave Miyagi a somewhat sympathetic look as he spoke.

"That's not the worst part."

"What could be worse than that?"

"I slept with my ex-wife last night." Miyagi coughed, digging around desperately in his pockets for his cigarettes. When he finally drew the box out, it was empty. "Dammit."

"What the hell?" Kamijou shouted, standing up in alarm. "What are you going to do now?" Becoming suddenly self aware, he quickly returned to his chair, huffing indignantly.

"Good question. She's in my literature class too."

"How could you let this happen?"

"It's not like I wanted it!" Miyagi countered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why are you so mad anyways?"

"I'm just surprised at you, that's all." Hiroki conceded, giving Miyagi a long hard stare. "The best advice I can give you would be to wait and then try calling Shinobu up. I know you don't think it's a good idea to talk to him, but trust me... The best thing to do in a situation like this is to get it all off your chest."

"What about the blackmail?"

"Just do it. He's a kid, he's not really going to go through with that, trust me."

"Now... What to do with the ex-wife..." Miyagi lamented, his head pounding from all the stress bouncing around inside it.

* * *

Three days had passed and Shinobu was finally settling in to his new life in Australia. His allergies had been remedied, thanks to Colin. He was getting around to memorizing his schedule and getting through his assignments. Other than the fact that the blond was stuck to him like glue, everything was going swimmingly, and yet Shinobu found himself feeling uneasy. He was wondering about Miyagi more and more with each passing day. Was the old man thinking about him? Did he miss him? What was he eating now that no one was there too cook?

_He's probably fine... He lived alone before I came along... _Shinobu tried to reassure himself, but he couldn't help worrying that something was being missed.

"Shinobu!" A bright cheery voice interrupted the honey-haired boy's morose thoughts. He pulled his head up out of his text book and turned to look at the beaming face of Colin's girlfriend Dollie. She had been hanging around Shinobu a lot since his return and although he thought she was very nice, she was quickly becoming like Colin. Like a little buzzing fly that wouldn't leave him be. "Have you heard?"

"Heard what?" The Japanese boy questioned, his expression bored.

"Colin and I are going to go to his parent's beach-house at the end of this month, you know, when all the unit tests are over with. We'd like you and a couple other people to come with."

"It's a nice offer-..."

"We aren't going to take no for an answer. I promise we aren't going to make you get in the water." The dark-haired girl winked playfully and ruffled Shinobu's hair. The boy scowled, reaching his hand up to smooth his hands, reminded once more of the embarrassing night he almost drowned. It was then that a familiar blond came stomping over, his face locked in the same joyous grin as Dollie's.

"Shinobu! I have something to talk to you about." Colin said when he got close enough to be heard. "Dollie and I are going to be going out to stay in my parent's-..." Shinobu was about to explain that Dollie had told him, but she got there before he did.

"Colin, I already told him."

"You did?"

"I told you I was going to." Dollie grumbled, looking s little annoyed. "Remember?"

"No, sorry. I don't remember ever hearing you say anything about that." Colin looked thoughtful, but the memory obviously wasn't coming back to him.

"It's alright, she told me either way." Shinobu closed his book and stood up, catching the blond's eye for a second. "I-I guess I'll go with you guys if it's okay."

"It's more than okay!"

"It's the perfect way to let off some steam after testing is done." The dark-haired girl babbled, one of her hands snaking it's way into one of Colin's. He gave her a stiff smile and laced their fingers together. She saw the tense way he looked at her and began to frown, averting her gaze to the ground, pulling her hand free. "Anyways, I should go. I'm meeting a friend."

As quickly as she had arrived, she was gone.

"Is something wrong with you two?" Shinobu asked, though he didn't much care to know. From what he had seen in the three days with Colin and Dollie was that they could go from lovers to enemies in a matter of seconds. It was mostly Colin's fault, since he seemed to be very aloof to her feelings, always seeming to say the wrong thing at the wrong time.

"Well, last night her and I were discussing maybe taking a hiatus from dating and then she comes up to me today like it never happened. She does it all the time and it's getting really old." Colin kicked a small rock off the sidewalk back into one of the school's planters, his expression frustrated. "She's a sweet girl and I really like her, but I'm just not feeling it anymore."

"I wish I could say the

he same for me and my uh-... Ex." Shinobu grumbled, sounding just a tinge bitter. The Aussie raised his eyebrows at the smaller boy, looking surprised. "What?"

"You've just never really mentioned much about anyone or anything back in Japan."

"There's not a lot to talk about really."

"That's not what I see." Colin's voice was gentle, but he couldn't hide the curiosity spouting forth from behind his kindness. "You look like you have a lot to talk about actually. I thought that the first time I saw you."

"Well, you must be blind, because I don't have anything to say about anything back home." Shinobu snarled, grabbing his things and starting for the dormitory.

"Shinobu! Come back Mate! I didn't mean anything by it!"

"Just drop it, okay?"

"Okay, I'm sorry." The blond caught up to Shinobu and cautiously placed one of his hands on Shinobu's back. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"S'fine." A minuscule itch was crawling up the smaller boy's spine at Colin's touch. It made him want to duck away, but at the same time he wanted to stand very still. The Aussie's hands were gentle and Shinobu couldn't help but enjoy even a simple thing like that.

"If you ever do want to talk, I'll be here, alright?"

"Yeah... Thanks." Shinobu glanced sideways at Colin, his gray eyes appraising the blond. His face flushed a bit when the Aussie smiled down at him. _This almost feels like-... Being with Miyagi. Almost._

* * *

**Thank you very much for reading! iwi Stay tuned~**_  
_


	8. The Stir Of New Feelings

**Sorry for such a late update! I recently got a job and I've been preparing for that and doing 82937298173 other things. XD Thank you for your patience and please keep watching for more Miyagi Shinobu drama!**

* * *

Miyagi was beginning to realize that Shinobu wasn't the only terrorist in his family. He had expected to return to his apartment with a little bit of time before Risako came over, time to think and figure out what he wanted to say to her. Instead, however, she was sitting in his living room when he walked in the door.

"How did you get into my apartment?" The man asked, carefully setting his bag down on the table. He began fishing through it for his cigarettes, pulling one out of the carton when they were found. He lit it up and walked over to sit across from Risako, taking a deep cleansing breath of toxic smoke.

"Before Shinobu left, he gave me his house key." She said, very curtly. She held up her hand, showing off the key, swinging back and forth from the key chain hung on her middle finger.

That's just great Shinobu... After all the trouble I went through to give you that. Miyagi thought resentfully. "That wasn't his to give, may I have it back?"

"Not till you and I have a long talk." The dark-haired woman shut her hand around the key and set both her hands in her lap. Though that was the last thing Miyagi wanted, he knew that if he didn't get it over with, she would never leave him alone. "You've changed Yoh..."

"That tends to happen over time."

"I don't mean it negatively. Just hear me out." Risako's voice was icy with irritation. "Not so recently, but in the past couple of weeks, you've seemed like a new man. Like you're really turning your life around and becoming happy. I have to tell you, I'm impressed with your progress."

"Well, thank you." Miyagi couldn't help but feel a little guilty. The only reason he would have been happy was because of Shinobu. It wasn't so much that he had changed as it was that the boy had changed him. "What does that have to do with what happened last night?"

* * *

"I want to get back together."

"Excuse me...?"

"You're not old enough to be deaf." The brash woman teased, though her voice was still tart. "I want to get back together with you Miyagi. I've seen that you've changed. I have changed in a lot of ways myself. Imagine how happy out parents will be to hear that we're getting back together!"

"We're not." Miyagi stated firmly, standing up and putting his cigarette out. He walked over and held out his hand for Shinobu's house key. "I have someone that I'm in love with."

"Of course you don't. That teacher of yours is long dead and gone."

"I'm not talking about her. There's someone that I love now. I gave up on her to be with that person, and even though they aren't really around right now, I'm not going to get rid of them at the drop of the hat. Especially not to be with you."

"What... Are you saying you met someone?" Risako asked, standing up in anger and disbelief. "You can't be serious Yoh!"

"My key. Risako."

"Why would you sleep with me if you have someone already?"

"I don't know..." Miyagi confessed, averting his gaze some. "You have a boyfriend, remember? You're doing wrong by him. Go home and wait for him to return, I'm sure he's crazy about you."

"You're going to regret this." The dark-haired woman snarled, throwing the key across the room in rage. She snatched up her purse and started for the door, hesitating when she heard Miyagi add one more thing,

"Don't show up to class tomorrow."

"I hadn't planned on it." The door slammed behind Risako as she left. Miyagi paused very briefly before walking over and locking it behind her, just to be on the safe side. When he was sure she wasn't going to come storming back in, he walked over and retrieved Shinobu's house key. He held it for a minute, turning it between his fingers, watching the light reflect off of it.

"I have to call him." Miyagi murmured, though he was unsure if it was the right thing to do. Even Hiro had suggested it, but was it really a wise decision? While he listed pros and cons in his head, the older man searched through his house for a little envelope that he could put the key into, that way he wouldn't lose it. When he finally found one, he carefully scrawled Shinobu's name onto the face of it before dropping the key inside and sealing it.

He then turned to the task at hand, pulling his cellphone out of his bag. He dialed as if it was an impulse, his thumb lingering over the send button. Taking a deep breath, Miyagi pressed down and held the phone up to his ear. One ring, two rings, three...

Answer... Just answer...

"Hello?"

* * *

Risako shut her eyes once she exited Miyagi's apartment, trying to calm herself down.

What kind of woman could Yoh have found? Must be quit a catch to turn me down... She thought spitefully. While waiting for the elevator to reach the parking garage, she adjusted her purse straps on her shoulder, her mind flickering back to the key. It had belonged to her younger brother Shinobu, which made Risako wonder if he might know who Miyagi's girlfriend was. I bet Yoh could barely have any alone time with her, what with how clingy Shinobu was with him...

Someone had thrown a switch in the brunette's head and a huge grin spread across her face at a sudden realization.

Unless... Risako mused, running her hand through some of her hair. Miyagi's little love interest isn't a woman at all, but instead his ex-brother in law.

"My, my Yoh... You have really outdone yourself this time..." Little pieces of the puzzle were revealing themselves to the woman, creating a scandalous image. The past few weeks suddenly made sense to her, Shinobu showing up to stay with her, him going back to Australia, Miyagi's odd behavior. "Getting you back is going to be easier than I thought.

* * *

Colin's bright blue eyes fell on the phone set out on Shinobu's nightstand. It was vibrating and playing a soft piano melody, each buzz moving it closer and closer to the edge of the little table. The blond glanced over his shoulder at the bathroom, able to hear the crash of water from the shower. Finally, curiosity got the best of him and he picked up the phone, answering it.

"Hello?"

"Shinobu?" The voice from the other end of the line exclaimed. Instantly Colin regretted answering the call, realizing that if it was someone back in Japan he wouldn't be able to explain. "Shinobu-" The rest was in Japanese.

"Um... I'm sorry, he's not available right now." The Aussie said slowly, praying that by some miracle the caller would understand. "Shinobu is showering."

"Ah..." The voice murmured, sounding severely disappointed. "Can you tell him I called?" Relieved that the man on the other line knew English, Colin was able to answer back.

"Yeah Mate, I can do that. Who's calling?"

"T-Tell him it's Miyagi."

Miyagi! This must be Shinobu's ex! The blue-eyed boy thought, feeling a jolt of jealousy. Shinobu had murmured the name in his sleep a couple of times, and once he had mentioned having recently had a break-up, Colin put two and two together.

"I'll be sure to tell him." He replied, keeping his voice low in case Shinobu happened to overhear.

"Thank you." The man hung up and Colin was left staring at an Call Ended screen. The two words blinked up at him for a couple seconds before taking the boy to the phone's menu. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching, he went to the call list on the phone, deleting the call. He returned the phone to it's spot on Shinobu's nightstand.

With a final guilty glance at the bathroom door, Colin picked up one of his text books and set to work on one of his assignments, trying desperately to slow the rapid beating of his heart.

* * *

Shinobu shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, drying himself off with his towel. He pulled on his pajamas and glanced at himself in the bathroom mirror, admiring his eyes. After a few seconds of staring, he set to work yanking a comb through his hair, working the tangles out with sharp tugs.

"You going to be in there all night?" Colin called through the door, his voice brimming over with amusement. "You're taking forever. Are you going on a hot date or something?" Shinobu yanked the door open and stomped out into the main room, where the blond oggled up at him.

"You took twice as long as I did, so I don't want to hear it." The smaller retorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I have longer hair than you do. It's a pain to wash."

"If it's a pain, cut it!"

"No!" The blond gasped in horror, as if Shinobu had just said something unthinkable. "You don't understand Shinobu! This hair is my gateway to the ladies!" Shinobu rolled his eyes and crawled into bed, fluffing his pillow a little. When the pillow was nice and puffy, he dove face first in, inhaling the smell of laundry detergient.

It was just cheap dorm detergient, but it smelled familiar somehow. The honey-haired boy wondered if maybe Miyagi might have used something with a similar scent, but he couldn't think of anything off the top of his head.

"When you're done snogging your pillow, maybe we can both get some sleep." Colin smiled in mirth, his grin like a Cheasire cat's.

"I'm not snogging it!" Shinobu shot back, pulling his head free of the floral-smelling fibers. He yanked the cord on the nighstand's lamp and turned so his back was to the blond. Many moments passed in silence and Shinobu felt himself get to the point of being almost asleep, but still awake.

"Can I sleep next to you?" It certainly sounded like something someone would say in a dream, but Shinobu's subconcious mind knew it was anything but. He sat up with a start and looked over at his roommate. In the darkness he could make-out Colin's sillouette, the blond's face obscured by shadowes, expression unreadable. The room fell once more into silence, the two boys waiting for the other to make a move, speak a word or two, breathe.

Neither wanted to be the first, because that would be awkward. So silently they willed the other to do it in their stead.

"I guess." Shinobu relented, his voice trembling a little. He cleared his throat and scooted towards the other side of the bed, making room for the Aussie. He felt his warm sheets being peeled back and the bed bounce a little at Colin crawled into it. "Get your own pillow though, I won't share mine. You probably drool in your sleep or something."

"At least I don't snore." A warm sticky hand shoved against the smaller boy playfully, a little tingle left behind when Colin's hand was removed. The sound of a pillow hitting the bed soon followed, making the Japanese boy's throat clench up a little. His whole body was beginning to feel hot and sweaty and he couldn't relax no matter what he did. Not wanting to move around and shake the bed, he sat as still as a statue. "You can lay down you know, I don't bite."

"It's not you I'm worried about." Shinobu confessed, knowing that his heart was pounding too fast, his head was spinning in too many circles. Worst of all, however, was the little ache the honey-haired one was feeling inside his chest. There was something he wanted to do, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

"Nothing you can do will make me like you any less."

_Was that a confession? _Shinobu wondered, worried that he was getting ahead of himself. The only person he wanted was Miyagi. If that was the case, then why was Colin's husky half-asleep voice getting to him so bad? Why did he care about sharing a bed with his roommate? The blond was an annoyance and nothing more. A pesky little fly that wouldn't buzz off.

"If you want to kiss me, you can." Colin's next set of words through Shinobu for such a loop that he had to jerk his head around to look at the blond and see if he had really said them. "You keep licking your lips. Either they're really dry, you're really hungry, or you want someone to kiss you. Girls do that sometimes. The lip licking thing."

"I don't want to kiss you!" Shinobu hissed, wiping his mouth off a little. "My lips are dry, that's all."

"I have some chapstick you can borrow." The taller boy's beautiful Australian accent hung heavy in the air, making the gray-eyed male feel overcome. The moment the blond sat up, Shinobu closed the distance between them and crashed his lips into Colin's, a soft gasp of surprise coming from them both. "Dry lips huh?"

"Th-That was an accident."

"You're a bad liar." The Aussie purred, clearly none-to-opposed to his roommate's sudden kiss. They were still only mere inches from one another. So close, that Shinobu could feel the blond's hot breath against his mouth, something that he hadn't felt for some time. He kissed Colin again, but this time with more intention behind it.

Two broad arms wound their way around Shinobu's neck, locking him in place like old wooden stocks. It didn't matter though, because the smaller of the two had no intention of pulling away. His partner's mouth was hot and inviting, like a hot cup of tea on a cold day.

The simple kisses grew deeper and soon the taller had menuvered his body over Shinobu's, obviously the more dominent one. He ran his hands down the boy's sides, feeling nothing but soft fabric and the occasional flash of silky skin. Once he caught a chance, he pushed his tongue deep into Shinobu's mouth, his breathing speeding up a little upon entry. Their legs began to entertwine and that's when the shorter boy pulled away.

"What are we doing?" He asked through his panting, mind no clearer than muddy water.

"Kissing. Obviously." Colin laughed, setting his head against Shinobu's. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah... But... What about Dollie? You have a girlfriend and I have-... Well..."

"Your ex is your ex for a reason Shinobu."

"Dollie isn't your ex though." The honey-haired boy had to move his hand over his mouth, seeing Colin start to lean down for another kiss. "We can't do this, I'm sorry." Scrambling hurriedly, he pulled himself out from under the other boy and curled up once more on his side of the bed.

"Shinobu-..." Colin began, but he obviously couldn't finish his own thought. He feel silent and soon sunk back down on his side of the bed. "Goodnight."

"'Night" It was a stiff reply, but Shinobu couldn't help it. His whole body felt odd, strange, unnatural. _There's something very wrong here... I like Miyagi... Not this guy. I don't even know this guy. _But even as he thought this, he knew that in all reality, he didn't know anymore about Miyagi than he did Colin. Either way he looked at it, he couldn't justify holding off and waiting around for someone who had cheated on him. The only thing in the way was Dollie.

Shinobu decided to use her as a safety net. Surely Colin wouldn't try to keep persuing him if he was getting along better with his girlfriend. The honey-haired boy decided that when they all headed up to Colin's parent's beach-house, he would do his best to make sure the couple had a nice time and a chance to rekindle their relationship.

* * *

**D: So much drama! Is Shinobu falling for another man?**


	9. Sunk

**Please forgive me gaiiiz! D: My life has been total drama island recently. I had a back-yard fire, job craziness, my birthday, and about 398423984 other things! I apologize for the late update. imi I wonder if you guys have given up on me. *rips shirt open in some epic display of manliness* I swear I will work hard to update more often!  
**

**.3. I swear I'm going to shut up now so you can enjoy the fic. **

**Edit: Thank you very much to the reviewer who corrected a little error in my story! The help was really appreciated! **

* * *

"He didn't call me back..." Miyagi sighed, checking his cellphone the following morning. He had told himself numerous times not to get his hopes up, and yet, he had anyways. _Shinobu must really be serious this time... He hasn't even called me once since he left... _

The thought made him feel glum, so he pushed it out of his head and started for work. Since his car had been in the shop since he and Hiroki's crash, he had been using the train. It wasn't his favorite thing in the word, being crammed between sweaty hot bodies on a loud obnoxious train, but he wouldn't have to endure it much longer. After his classes, he would be able to head to the car-shop and pick up his beautiful car-baby.

It was around five in the evening when he finally got away from the school. He didn't have a lot of time to get to the body-shop before it closed, so it was all about haste. Halfway there however, he spotted the woman he had scorned the night before. She was sitting with a man at some cafe, smiling at him like he was saying something really funny, though Miyagi could tell that he wasn't being humorous.

Though he knew he had little time, he couldn't stop his curiosity. The older man snaked closer to the couple, staying out of sight, but not earshot.

"Risako, you can't really be serious." The man murmured, looking away from the woman. "That's completely crazy."

"It might sound crazy to you, but it's what I want." Shinobu's sister insisted, touching the man's face with a smooth hand. "Tsuku-Chan, can't you do this one thing for me?"

"I thought you liked me."

"I _do _like you... However, unless you can meet my needs, I can't continue to date you."

_Ah... So this guy is her boyfriend... _Miyagi thought, examining the man closer. He was obviously only about twenty or so, far too young for the woman in front of him. _Not that I'm any better... Dating Shinobu..._

"If this is really what you want-..." Tsuku spoke slowly, hesitantly, obviously not very keen on doing whatever it was that Risako had asked him. "If it's for you, I can do it."

"I love you Tsuku..." And with those words, the woman sealed the deal with a kiss. The action embarrassed Miyagi so much that he had to look away. It also made him jealous. It had been a while since he and Shinobu had kissed.

_I'll never get to do that again... _It was a sobering thought for Miyagi. Something he hadn't thought about when Shinobu first broke up with him. There was a lot of things he would never do anything, things he had never even considered. It made his chest feel very heavy, knowing that Shinobu was really done with him. _I guess this is what I get... _

One kiss. That's all it had been. How had it changed his relationship so drastically?

* * *

Shinobu woke up in a cradle made of two warm, strong arms. He inhaled deeply before opening his eyes, eager to see Miyagi's face. Instead, he was met by the sleeping face of his roommate. A scowl spread across his face, remembering the previous night's events. Not that he hadn't enjoyed the kissing, but it somehow made him miss Miyagi all the more.

Careful not to wake the sleeping boy beside him, Shinobu wriggled free and started for the bathroom, catching a look at himself in the bathroom mirror. His face was flushed, his lips red, a common sight after an intense kissing session like the one he and Colin had, had.

_It's kind of awkward to think about... _The gray-eyed boy thought, glancing out of the bathroom at the sleeping figure. He was certainly thinking of the Aussie in a whole new way. The blond suddenly didn't seem annoying, his quirks coming across as cute rather than obnoxious. Could a few kisses really change a person's whole view on someone? _I'm probably just using him to get over Miyagi._

It seemed to be a logical explanation, so Shinobu was just going to go with it. The decision didn't come without consequences though. He had enjoyed kissing Colin, more than he wanted to admit to himself. For the first time since his break-up with Miyagi, Shinobu felt like he was actually enjoying Australia, and he wanted more.

_This situation's getting really tricky... _He thought, grabbing his toothbrush out of it's little cup on the back of the sink. He pulled his toothpaste out of the bathroom drawer and dobbed it onto the bristles, running them under the water before beginning to brush his teeth.

"Good morning." Shinobu jumped hearing Colin's voice appear. He glanced up from the sink at the mirror and stared at the blond. He was leaning against the doorway, shirtless and a feast for the eyes. "Scoot over, I want to brush my teeth too." The Japanese boy obeyed, stepping to the side to make room for him.

Colin followed suit, picking up his toothbrush, putting toothpaste on it, running of water over it. Shinobu hadn't even noticed that he had stopped brushing his own teeth to gawk at the blond in the mirror. Feeling the odd sensation of being watched, the Aussie glanced sideways at Shinobu.

"Something on my face?" He asked around his toothbrush.

"No, sorry." Shinobu huffed, turning away from the taller boy quickly, embarrassment plain as day on his face. "I was just spacing out." He finished off his brushing and spat out the toothpaste, trying to be graceful about it, and in turn making a mess in the sink. He rushed to rinse out the sink and clean off his brush before Colin noticed him acting oddly. Finally he could escape the bathroom, not wanting to be in such close proximity to the blond.

_Why am I acting so weird? Is this how I acted around Miyagi too?_Shinobu ran his fingers back through his hair, noticing for the first time that morning the rapid beating of his heart. There was definitely something going on between him and Colin, but he couldn't figure out exactly what it was.

* * *

"I'm glad you have your car back professor, but could you stop making those weird race-car noises?" Hiroki glared at his superior through slitted eyes. Miyagi was busy blabbering about his car and how happy he was that Hiro had crashed it, because after taking it to the auto-shop, it seemed to run better than before.

"Can't a man swoon over his car~? You're so mean Kamijou! That's why you don't have a car yourself." Miyagi said in a sing-song voice, spinning his office chair around to face the demon-professor.

"I don't have a car because I don't need one. It's not like I go anywhere that isn't in walking distance of my house."

"You ride all those nasty trains! Someday you're going to get some kind of disease!"

Oh stop it." The brunette snorted, rolling his eyes. "I've never heard of anyone getting a disease from riding the train."

"That's because the first case is going to be with you." Miyagi reasoned, rolling his chair over next to Hiro's, throwing an arm around the angry man's shoulder's.

"Someone's in a good mood... Did that kid answer his phone or something?" Like a balloon popping, the older man's enthusiasm went out the window. He slumped in his chair as he wheeled it back towards his own desk. "I'll take that as a no. What happened?"

"I got Risako off my back and then called Shinobu-Chin like you said, but some other guy answered and I haven't heard back from Shinobu. The guy said he would let him know that I called..."

"Another guy huh... You know Professor, you might have to accept that he could already have someone else in his life by this point." Hiroko said lightly, straightening a stack of papers. "That guy who answered could be someone special to him. I don't know of many people who answer other people's phones unless they've gotten close to that person. I know I wouldn't answer your phone while you weren't around."

"Are you saying we're not close~?" Miyagi pouted, crossing his arms over his chest, his face turning serious once more. "I didn't consider that Shinobu might have found someone else..." The thought annoyed the dark-haired man to no ends. Even just picturing another man with Shinobu made Miyagi's skin crawl. "Maybe I should go down there and find Shinobu. Knock some since into him."

"Whatever you think is best." Hiro shrugged, glancing at his co-worker with some form of sympathy in his eyes. "If I were you though, I wouldn't want to rock the boat too much. Plus you can't just abandon your summer job. Think about how that would look." Miyagi chewed over Hiroki's words briefly, deciding the other man was right.

"I'll try calling him again. I mean, it could just be that he's busy, right?" This time, Hiro didn't answer. He just shook his head and stood up, heading for the door. "Kamijou... Want a ride home?"

"Are you going to get drunk and make me crash your car again?"

"No! Nothing like that." Miyagi laughed, standing up and following the brunette out. "Sorry about that night. The whole getting drunk and kissing you thing."

"As far as I'm concerned, it never happened." The smaller of the two croaked, flashing the other a dirty look. "Let's not bring that up, alright?"

Together they walked to the parking lot, exchanging a few words here and there along the way. If anything, Hiroki was turning out to be a pretty good friend. Miyagi would have to do something to thank him someday.

"Now I know I'm getting old..." Miyagi scanned the parking lot, unable to recall where he parked his car. "I don't see it anywhere."

"Maybe try using the panic button on the key?" Hiro suggested, he too unable to spot the car. Miyagi pulled the keys from his pocket and pressed the bright red alert button, not a single noise coming from any direction. A sinking feeling came over the dark-haired professor and he began to laugh, somewhat hysterically.

"Now someone's stolen my car." Setting his face in his hands, Miyagi leaned back against the side of the school. He felt like an idiot, acting so emotional in front of his co-worker, but he couldn't help it. The recent events of his life where weighing heavily on him and his back had finally cracked under all the pressure.

"Pro-Professor?" The brunette stammered, having never seen his superior look so upset. "I'm sure your car is just out of range of the keys or something. Maybe we should check the other side of the building."

"Hiroki..."

"Yes Professor?" Instead of answering the shorter man, Miyagi leaned over and placed his head on the other's chest. Feeling awkward, Hiroki stood still, eventually relaxing enough to set a hand on the other's back. "Maybe you should see someone about all this."

"I'll be alright. I just need a moment."

"But-..."

"Thank you for being a good friend." Miyagi whispered sincerely, gripping at Hiro's shirt. The brunette was flattered by the older man's words, though he would never in a million years admit it. "I think maybe I'll just walk home. It'll clear my head. In the morning I can call a report in on my car."

* * *

Risako watched in silence as Miyagi's car sank into the water. Stealing it had been easy, she had a key to Miyagi's apartment. All she had to do was unlock the door and look around until she found the spare key to the car. Then she got Tsuku to drive out to the reservoir and meet up with her. Together the two of them staged a car-crash, making it appear that the driver had spun out of control and driven off into the water.

"Remind me again why we're doing this?" Tsuku asked, playing with his hands nervously. Risako's eyes slide from the sinking car to her current boyfriend. He was easy to manipulate, being naive and too much of a 'good guy'. He would do anything to please her, no more than a dog in her eyes.

"I need to teach my ex a lesson. Think of how upset he'll be to find out in the paper that his car was stolen and crashed into a lake." Risako whispered, snaking one of her hands into his. "He was really mean to me... Always placing money above me. I mean, how else would he end up with such a nice car? While I have nothing but the clothes on my back? If not for my parents, I would be pretty much homeless."

"Right, sorry..."

"Tsu-Chan, I love you." Risako breathed, kissing the man's neck softly. "You've been so kind to me all this time... Thank you so much for helping me do this."

"I love you too." Tsuku smiled , no longer feeling as guilty as before. As long as he was able to make Risako happy, he would do anything for her.

* * *

The following morning, Miyagi was shocked at the story on the front page. There was a picture of his car, being lifted out of a lake via crane. The article below the photo spoke of a car crash, where the driver had apparently gone missing, assumed to be drowned. A great feeling of annoyance came over Miyagi as he read. His car would have to be repaired once again, forcing the dark-haired man to ride the train for another week.

_Things just get better and better..._

* * *

**And that's all for this chapter~ Sorry it's so short. I should be updating with more soon though! :D **


	10. Lighthouse

**;A; I am sooooooo sorry for the 21987398217392817398217 years since my last update! Between work and having pets and everything else-... {Also a severe case of 'Lazy'.} This chapter is a little longer than my others but it's mainly focused on Shinobu. Now, you may be wondering, HOW IS THIS MIYAGIXSHINOBU? THEY AREN'T EVEN TOGETHER! HERNERNERNEEEEER! It's because it's more or less about them getting BACK together after a series of trials. ~w~ So bear with me a little longer! Love will return them to each other soon enough. **

* * *

Shinobu's exams came and went like a daydream. He scored high, just like he knew he would. Tests were the least of his worries. Things between him and his roommate had gotten more and more complicated. First off, Colin an Dollie had broken up after a huge fight, and since then, they had not been on speaking terms. For whatever reason however, she insisted on going to the beach house with Colin and Shinobu regardless of the break-up.

According to her, there would be a party to celebrate the passing of exams and everyone attending summer term was invited. This little bit of news didn't go over well with Shinobu, who wasn't really into the whole party idea to begin with. However, it was impossible to get out of it, having already promised both of them that he would go.

The second thing that had happened during exams was the sudden blossom of a romance between the boys in room two-sixteen. Every night since the first night they'd kissed, Colin had found a way to convince Shinobu to do it all over again. He would crawl into the smaller's bed and for a bit it would be casual chatting, then Colin would make his move and Shinobu would fall into his trap every single time.

This, was one such night...

For the third time in a week Shinobu's roommate was on top of him, the blond's lips against his own. As the kissing got more frantic, the two boy's breathing sped up along with it, coming out in heavy puffs. The gray-eyed boy had wrapped his arms around Colin's neck and was now running his fingers through soft blond hair, tugging it free from the hair-tie holding it. The Aussie seemed to like this, because he groaned softly in approval, the sound sending a little shudder up Shinobu's spine.

"Shino-... Mate, we have to stop." Colin huffed, pulling away from their kissing. It was only then that Shinobu noticed that they had both become shirtless and his own pants were undone. He laid still for a moment, his breathing beginning to slow, as he tried to recall when such things had happened. The memories didn't return to him and he knew they never would. "As much as I would like to take things further, I don't think this is the time or place."

"What makes you think we're going to go any further?" The grumpy one demanded, trying his best to sound irritated. Instead, his voice came out sounding more breathless.

"You were the one taking your clothes off."

"I was not!"

"My hands have hardly moved since we began." Colin looked amused as he spoke, smiling impishly. "I took my shirt off and that was it for the most part." Shinobu looked away in embarrassment, the blond was right. One hand had been on the smaller's waist and the other behind his head, stationary throughout most of the kissing session. To avoid further shame, the honey-haired boy turned over so that his back was to the other boy.

"Can I ask you something?" Shinobu spoke slowly, his heart beginning to race. It had been something he had been wondering since their first night of kissing.

"You just did."

"Shut up, you know what I mean... …Are we dating?"

"Mmm..." Colin didn't answer at first, shutting his eyes to chew over the question. "Do you want to be?"

"Dunno." It was mostly an honest answer. Shinobu really wasn't sure what he thought of Colin. He had already decided that he at least liked him enough to consider it, despite the fact that he was still a little hung up on Miyagi. "My ex was a man."

"Oh really?" Though he couldn't be sure, Shinobu thought he had heard a little bit of nervousness in the blond's voice. "So what are you anyways? I mean... Are you gay or something?"

"I don't really think I have a prefference. I've only ever liked one person before all this."

"You've never dated a girl before?" The news was obviously shocking to Colin, and he continued, his words coming out rushed. "You're totally the kind of guy that girls would go for. Good looking, smart, lots of money. Of course, your personality is a little-..."

"I don't really understand girls." Shinobu confessed. They had always seemed odd to him, like there was a barrier around them that he couldn't get inside. They were a mystery to him, though not in a romantic sort of way.

"Ha! Join the club mate. You aren't the first man to have that problem."

"What are you talking about? Girls are all over you all the time."

"I guess it's just because I've always been interested in them." The blond shook his head lightly, his strong arms snaking around Shinobu's waist. "You're the first guy for me though. Guess this means I'm part gay."

"Part gay? There's no such thing." The gray-eyed boy snorted, pulling the blankets up over them both. He then reached over and turned off the light on the nightstand, bathing the room in darkness. "Are you really going to hang on me like that all night?"

"You betcha~"

"Fine, but just tonight." Shinobu had long since lost count of how many nights he had uttered those words.

Gray eyes stared out the window as the scenery flew by. Colin, Shinobu, and Dollie had been in the car for almost two hours, on their voyage to the beach house. They weren't far from it, according to the map that the blond had brought along. He was at the wheel, steering their vessel along the winding dirt road in front of them. The scene felt very familiar to Shinobu, as they had both met one another in a car weeks earlier. It had been the start of a very dysfunctional relationship.

"I can't wait to get out and stretch my legs." Dollie sighed, glancing over at Shinobu. He could see her face reflected in his car window, looking at him with an odd expression. "What about you Shinobu? Are you ready to get out of this car?"

"Yeah, it's been a long drive." The Japanese boy wasn't feeling chatty and that's just what the dark-haired girl had insisted on doing the whole way. She had spent a good half hour trying to get him to talk to her before giving up and settling on a more approachable victim. Though Colin and her had just recently broken up, they were back on speaking terms and getting along like old friends once more.

Something that worried Shinobu, though he would never admit it to anyone. Would his late night make out sessions continue if Colin and Dollie got back together? It would seem that they were headed in that direction, but he couldn't be sure. For all he knew, they might have simply been acting chummy for his sake. Either way, the closeness Dollie and Colin shared made Shinobu feel a little jealous.

"Here we are!" Colin gasped from the front seat, pulling up in front of a two story holiday home. The front half was attached to the driveway, while the back half ran out into the sand, coming over it like a little overhang. It was held up by large wooden columns, that disappeared into the beachy ground, almost like they were being sucked down into it. The house itself had many windows, lighting the interior with natural light. "What do you guys think?"

"It's amazing!" Shinobu had never seen anything like it before. It's construction, it's shape, even the overall look. He climbed out of the car the moment it was parked and took a few steps towards the structure. Collin and Dollie soon joined him, glancing at one another, smiles on their faces. "This is the place?"

"Yeah, I didn't bring you here to ask stupid questions." The two boys gave each other playful looks at the blond's words, something that hadn't gone unnoticed by the third member of the group. Her curiosity was soon smashed away, as Colin lead the way to the front door and unlocked it. He stepped inside and the other two followed.

The inside was more impressive than the outside. Glossy pine flooring covered the ground, gleaming in the sunlight from the windows. Meanwhile, modern and stylish furniture decked out the living room and kitchen. Up a spiral staircase there were four rooms, the master leading out onto a small terrace that overlooked the ocean beyond it. Though pleasantly mild, the scent of sea water filled the house, giving off a light salty fragrance.

"Honey! I'm home!" Colin called, his voice echoing up into the vaulted ceilings. He grinned at Dollie and Shinobu, who were still marveling at the house, taking it all in. "You two can stop drooling, it's not _that _impressive."

"Bull, you were going on and on about how awesome this place is the whole way here." Shinobu scoffed, though he had to admit, the house was impressive.

"What's that? I was right?"

"For once." Dollie tacked on playfully, giving Colin a little shove. "C'mon boys, we have a party to set up for."

It took nearly four hours to set up for the party. Putting up tables, decorating, cooking food, preparing drinks, rigging the surround sound system to play music. When all was said in done, Shinobu was surprised they were going to have the party at all. If Dollie and Colin felt as tired as he did, he couldn't imagine why the would still want to hold the event.

"Here." The blond walked over and sat next to Shinobu, who was currently taking advantage of the patio off the master bedroom. When the gray-eyed boy looked up, a bottle of beer appeared in his face. "The drinking age here is eighteen. You've got to be at least that."

"Nineteen." He murmured, taking the bottle. It was already open causing a pungent scent to fill his nose. With little hesitation he put the bottle to his mouth and tilted it some, letting the liquid bounce down into his mouth. He scowled a little at the flavor, not used to having the strong drink. "It's kind of gross."

"I know, but you get used to it real quick."

Colin pulled up one of the deck-chairs and sat down next to Shinobu, his eyes fixating on the sea ahead of them. It was like he was staring out into a crowd of people rather than an empty shore, the fascination clear as day on his face. All the Japanese boy at his side could do, was stare at him. At his blue eyes and his long hair and his nice jaw-...

"I think I've drank too much already." Shinobu shook his head a little, trying his best to push the odd thoughts out of his head. Sure, Colin was good looking and maybe a good kisser, possibly even someone considered 'datable', but the smaller boy was still unsure. Unsure about Colin himself and unsure about the ex girlfriend they had left inside. "Are you still in love with Dollie?"

"Mmm... I'm not even sure if I ever was in love with her." The Aussie began, his eyes still reflecting the ocean. "I've always liked her. We've been friends for a long time and after a while it just sort of evolved into something else. I'm not sure what to describe it as. It's kind of like we both felt we had to fall into those roles and so we just did."

"Do you think she loves you?"

"I think she probably does, but it's not the kind of love we're both looking for." Colin spoke slowly, as if trying to decide exactly how he wanted to phrase his words. "She's important to me and I would do anything I could for her, but the romance just isn't really there. I feel in someways I was forcing myself to be with her, the hugs, the kisses, the dates, the sex-..."

"You guys-...?" Shinobu was caught of guard by the thought. It wasn't as if he and Miyagi hadn't done it themselves, but Dollie and Colin? Even more surprising, was the feeling of jealousy welling up in the boy's chest, rushing in like the waves crashing in on the beach.

"It's not exactly a secret Mate. The whole school knows. Dormitory walls aren't exactly sound proof."

"Wait... So you mean-... Someone could have heard us?"

"I wouldn't go that far." Colin said, a cheeky grin spreading across his face. "Although, there have been rumors-..."

"You're not serious." Panic set in and for a moment Shinobu wracked his brain for a solution, before he finally caught onto Colin's scheme. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Then don't be so easy to scare." Colin jumped from his seat on the porch and fled inside, the honey-haired boy in hot persuit. For the first time since he had arrived, Shinobu really felt like he had made the right decision to leave Japan. No, better yet, he had made the right decision to leave Miyagi.

In a matter of an hour or two, the trio had turned the beach house into a chic party-house. There was music, food, beer, anything and everything a college party needed and then some. A bonfire lay out in the sand, ready for use, a volley-ball net was set up behind the house, not to mention enough barbecue and smore supplies to feed a small army. The sight was impressive and Shinobu couldn't help but feel a little excited, even if he still felt a little apprehensive about the party.

It was half an hour to show-time and the honey-haired boy was busy in the shower, scrubbing away the car-ride up to the beach house. He was busy humming to himself over the blare of the water when he heard the bathroom door open. He froze a bit, wondering if someone had walked in on accident, but he didn't hear the door close again. Cautiously he peered around the side of the curtain, dumbfounded to see Dollie standing before him.

"What are you doing?" Shinobu exclaimed as one of the dark-haired girl's hands slipped over his mouth. She winked at him and for the first time he realized she was wearing a towel. "D-Dollie?"

"Shh!" She shooshed him again and pulled her hand back. Carefully she let the towel fall to the floor and did a little twirl, much to Shinobu's relief, sporting a cute little strapless bikini. "I wanted to show you this."

"Couldn't it have waited till I had gotten out?"

"You were taking too long." With a pouty look on her face, she bent down to pick up her towel. "It's not like I have xray vision. Your naked body is safe behind that curtain." A little splash of red spread over the boy's face and he turned away from her.

"Looks good. I'll be out in a bit." He grumbled, slinking back behind the curtain. He waited a bit for her to leave, groaning mentally when she didn't. Once more his head appeared. "Can I help you?"

"You said you would be out in a bit, right?" Dollie smiled naively, playing the innocence card. Shinobu shook his head a little and went back to his shower, deciding to ignore her. It had obviously worked, because Dollie had grown tired of waiting and had left the bathroom, leaving Shinobu to shower in peace.

Clean and in a fresh pair of clothes, he worked on deciding how he wanted to wear his hair. His gray eyes appraised himself in the mirror, while he combed his hair this way and that. A little pang of shock ran through Shinobu as he realized the only time he had really taken much interest in his hair was when he was going to be around Miyagi. The action had always embarrassed him, seeming more like a girl thing.

"Mate, what's takin' you?" Collin's voice echoed through the door, causing Shinobu to jump a little.

"Coming." He wrenched open the door and strode out, his heart picking up a pace or two when the blond's eyes took him in. He wondered if he looked good or just looked how he was feeling, unprepared and full of nerves.

"You sure got dressed up."

"I don't go to parties a lot. Not sure what to wear." He didn't feel dressed up, he felt dressed down. Self consciously, Shinobu glanced down at his clothes. At the present moment he was simply dressed in what he thought beach-wear was like, a plain tank-top and swim-trunks. He had spent a good ten minutes trying to best match up his swim-trunks with the other clothes he had brought, with no avail. "Spent a long time picking this out." That was another thing he had done with Miyagi, spent more time picking out clothes than he felt was necessary

"You look fine." Colin insisted, grinning wickedly. The blond had changed clothes too. Actually, it was an understatement to say he had changed clothes. Colin's idea of 'beach party' was swim-trunks and no shirt, just a silver chain with a very cliché shark-tooth hanging from it. "You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." The gray-eyed boy whispered, following his friend downstairs, music instantly blasting his ears, as if someone had flipped a switch the moment they had reached the bottom landing. There were already a few people there, congregated in little groups around the living room, some drifting towards the kitchen.

A few school-mates that Shinobu recognized waved to him or called out a music-drowned hello. He did his best to acknowledge them, all the while sticking close to Colin, hoping the blond wouldn't get annoyed at having an extra shadow. It was another reason that he never went to parties, they were awkward for him and he felt very out of place. Even knowing a few people, he couldn't seem to find his niche.

The two of them migrated outside and stood with a small group of Colin's friends. Shinobu listened politely to them talk and occasionally offered up a few words himself, finding it easier to relax when he saw how happy his roommate seemed. The blond's crooked smile was infectious and soon Shinobu had forgotten about being shy, at least for the most part.

"Shinobu, come dance with me." Dollie's words were hot and breathy in his ear. He jolted a little and turned away from the conversation he was having to see the dark-haired girl standing close behind him. She was still just as she had been earlier, wearing her little strapless bikini, but now her face sported more make-up. "You can dance, right?"

"G'on mate! Dance with the little Shela." One of the boys in the group yelled out, making the fair-haired boy blush in embarrassment. He didn't know a thing about dancing and he wasn't too keen on showing that off. Obviously not taking no for an answer, Dollie grabbed one of his hands and carted him back into the house, a loud and rambunctious song playing.

The living room furniture had been pushed out of the way, making a make-shift dance floor. Dollie pulled Shinobu right out into the middle of the area, the boy glancing around frantically to see if anyone was watching them. The crowd was too busy dancing in couples or groups to notice, so Shinobu did his best to follow whatever Dollie was doing.

"You can dance!" Dollie cried over the music, beaming up at him. He smiled stiffly and nodded, his gray eyes straying back towards the back door, praying that Colin wasn't watching, but at the same time hoping to see his face. The blond was nowhere to been seen.

"I'm getting kind of thirsty." It was both the truth and an excuse, he needed to get out of the crowd of hot, sweaty college kids. It was his third song dancing with Dollie and he was finding himself drained. She obviously hadn't caught what he said, because her face was deadpan.

"What did you say?"

"I NEED A DRINK!" Having raised his voice to compete with the music, Shinobu found himself speaking rather harshly. The dark-haired girl looked a little taken-aback, her face falling some. The honey-haired boy hesitated, a moment too long, because a slow song started up. Looking around, he saw that people were pairing off to slow dance and the once who didn't have anyone were skulking away.

"Stay for one more dance." Dollie said quietly, keeping her eyes on the floor. Feeling a little guilty for snapping at her, he saw that he had no choice.

"Alright."

Dollie jerked her head up, breaking out into a huge smile, as if Shinobu had just made her night. She threw her arms eagerly around his neck, pulling their bodies so close together that it was almost uncomfortable. He didn't know what was worse, the sappy song, or the way Dollie was hanging from him. The whole thing felt odd, but he did what he could to play along. His arms slid around her tiny waist and the two of them swayed back and forth, the motion making Shinobu feel like he was on some kind of drunken sail-boat.

"You're a really nice guy." Dollie murmured next to Shinobu's ear. Her arms locked tighter around his neck and he resisted the urge to push her off.

"Thank you." Shinobu's voice was stiff, but she didn't appear to notice, too busy mouthing the lyrics to the song.

Four painful chorus repeats later, the song was over and Dollie had removed herself from Shinobu's body. She wasn't done with him however, on her way to the kitchen, her hand locked around one of his.

"You look like you could use a beer."

_You have no idea. _He thought sardonically, taking an ice-cold can from her. He opened it up and took a few harsh gulps of it, ignoring the burn in his throat.

"Oh that's just great." Shinobu turned to look and see why Dollie sounded so disgusted, his eyes spotting Colin across the room, his arm wrapped around a little red-head girl's waist. A little wave of shock splashed over Shinobu, his pulse thumping viciously in his neck. "Hasn't even been broken up with me more than a couple weeks and he's already on another girl."

"Why's he doing that?" Shinobu asked dumbly as his mouth found it's way to the can in his hands, his eyes still watching Colin and the girl, who was now whispering into the blond's ear. Sensing the waves of distress coming from the Japanese boy next to her, Dollie hooked one of her arms around one of his and steered him towards the back door and down to the beach. "Dollie, why's he doing that?"

Shinobu didn't like it, not one bit. He was finally happy in Australia, finally had gotten Miyagi out of his head, was finally starting to like Colin. Shinobu's reason for leaving Japan was cheating and now it was happening again. Although, the Aussie had never specifically said that they were together.

"He's a player." Dollie said, sitting down in the pale sand. The ocean was a wine-red, the sun setting up above it as it washed on and off the shore. Blood was pounding in Shinobu's ears, his eyes transfixed on the endless span of water, not really seeing it. "Why do you think I broke up with him? He didn't want a serious relationship. He wanted to play around and only use me when he needed me."

"All men are the same..." Shinobu grumbled, not caring if Dollie figured out the meaning behind his words or not.

"Except you."

"Yeah, except me." He had to agree, he had never cheated on anyone and couldn't imagine doing so. Technically he had used Colin to get over Miyagi, but that was a different category and Shinobu was willing to overlook it for the moment.

"Let's go for a walk." The brunette suggested, standing up to brush the sand off herself. Shinobu nodded, the idea sounding better than going back to the party. The two of them began walking along the beach, not really saying anything, simply leaving footprints for the tide to wash away. After some time, they arrived at what looked like a restored lighthouse.

"Colin told me about this lighthouse. I have the key if you want to go inside." Dollie slipped a silver bangle off her arm, a small key dangling from it.

"I've never seen a lighthouse before." Shinobu stared in marvel at the tall tower. Though it was no-longer in use, the structure was an amazing sight.

"The light still works. Let's go up and turn it on!" After unlocking the door, Dollie crept inside, glancing back at Shinobu expectantly.

"Are you sure it's okay to be in here?" He wondered, looking around a little after entering the doorway. It was dark inside, but the rising moon was providing just enough light to make-out a staircase.

"Of course it is." Taking the steps two at a time, Dollie started up towards the top, Shinobu following hesitantly. The circular room at the top was simple, nothing more than a giant empty area with a light in the middle and a control console against one of the walls. The real treat was the windows on all sides, looking out over the beach and the ocean beyond. "What a view!"

Impressed, the gray-eyed boy walked over to one of the windows and looked out, able to see the beach-house they had left behind. It looked minuscule from up in the lighthouse. As he peered out into the night, Dollie worked on turning the light on. When it started up, two beams of light began to rotate inside the room, shining out across miles of ocean.

"What do you think?" The dark-haired one came to stand by Shinobu, watching the lights along with him.

"This is really amazing Dollie. Thank you for showing me," he would have said more, but Dollie's hands had gripped his shoulders and pushed him to the floor. Now her body was on top of his and her lips were moving against his. His whole body tensed and for a moment his head drew only blanks. It wasn't until her tongue had found it's way into his mouth that he finally pushed her off. "What are you doing?"

"Hush..." Dollie said, her voice a little husky. She placed her hand delicately over his mouth, smiling impishly. "Don't talk. It's more romantic if you just keep quiet."

"No, this-... We can't do this!"

"What...? Are you a virgin?"

"No, nothing like that." Shinobu tried to think of how to explain and while he did she was back on top of him, this time her hand grabbing at his crotch. He grabbed at her hand harshly. "Stop it!"

"Are you worried about not having protection?" She looked a little annoyed, her free hand reaching down into her bikini top to pull out a little square packet. "I have us covered."

"I'm not having sex with you." Shinobu said firmly, releasing her hand. Dollie's eyes flashed with fury, striking him with an open palm across the face.

"Just do what I say!"

"No, get off." Face stinging a little, the honey-haired boy placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her a little shove. He was about to stand up when the sound of footsteps approaching caught his attention. "Wait... I hear someone."

"I bet it's the police." Dollie hissed, shoving Shinobu onto his back. "I'll hide you." She sat up a little and began to look around, as if trying to find a good place for them to stash themselves, her arms snaking around behind her back.

"What are you doing now?"

The dark-haired girl didn't bother explaining. She simply slipped her bikini top off and grabbed one of Shinobu's hands, placing it over her exposed chest. She resumed her kissing as the door to the light room was opened and two figures walked in. Obscured by the bright beams of light from the lighthouse's lamp, Shinobu couldn't really see who had entered, but a sinking feeling in his stomach gave him a good hint.

* * *

**D: THAT HOE! Forcing herself on Shinobu! What could Dollie's motives be? :3 Stay tuned. **


	11. Disconnected

**Heeeeey gaaaaaiz~ How are you all doing? :3 I'm pretty good myself. This is yet another update to my story! You'll finally get to find out what happened to Shinobu and Dollie in the lighthouse! **

**Thank you guys for reading this story and leaving such lovely reviews! It means a lot to me!**

**Also, thank you to my proofreader and love of my life. 3 Without you this fanfic would be a mess.**

* * *

A very angry thirty-five year old man was stomping down the sidewalk, blind to the people he was bumping into as he went. In his hand there was a very worn rolled up newspaper, his car featured on the front page. Sunk in a lake by his crazy ex, the car had taken two days to get back and was going to cost a small fortune to repair. From water damage to needing new parts, the car was out of commission for a good while.

Miyagi was on his way to his ex-wife's house, ready to demand answers about why she stole his car and drove it into a lake. He didn't feel the need to call the police about it, he didn't really give a damn whether anyone knew the truth or not, but he wanted to hear it straight from her. He wanted to know what her problem was.

He arrived at her house and wasted no time knocking on the door, so roughly that it hurt his knuckles. It didn't take long for Risako to answer, looking almost pleased to see Miyagi standing on her doorstep, even if he looked ready to kill.

"Yoh... Come inside." Her voice purred when she spoke his name. He waited for her to stand aside and stepped into the house. She shut the front door and started into the kitchen. "Why don't you come sit down? I'll get you a drink."

"No thanks. I won't be long." Miyagi gritted his teeth as he spoke, holding the paper out to her. She took it from his shaking hands and unrolled it.

"Is that your car?"

"I don't want to hear any bullshit Risako. We both know you're behind that."

"Alright..." She handed the paper back and smiled lightly up at Miyagi. "I'll admit, I might have done something like that. It was merely to get your attention and now that I have it I would like to talk."

"Oh trust me, we're going to have a talk." Miyagi threw the paper to the side in disgust and started towards Risako, backing her into the nearest wall. He placed a hand on either side of her head to make sure she couldn't get away from him while he said what he wanted to say. "I'm sorry if I'm not begging to have you back, but you need to cut this harrassing thing out. I'm too old for this. We need to both act like adults and stop this."

"Pinning a woman up against the wall is hardly acting like an adult Yoh."

"Shut up and listen."

"No _you_listen." Now Risako was getting riled up, her voice changing from it's normal sultry tone. "I'm doing this for us Yoh. You and I make a good team and I think we should reconsider our divorce."

"You were the one who wanted it in the first place." The dark-haired man hissed, pulling away from her. "I'm not getting back together with you. I told you before that I have someone I like."

"Who? Shinobu? He left you Yoh and he didn't look back."

"Doesn't matter. If I don't have him then I don't want anyone." Miyagi meant every word. Even if Shinobu had left him and gone to live in Australia, even if they never spoke again, the older man knew that there would never be anyone that could fill the empty spot left behind. "If it's not Shinobu, then it's not a relationship worth my time."

"You're doing the same thing you did with your teacher." Risako spat, throwing her arms up into the air. "You cling onto the people that leave you and then you wonder why you're alone!"

"I'm not wondering anything! I'd rather be alone than try to replace those that I care about."

"You replaced me without any issues!" Miyagi turned to look at Risako, who's voice was now on the verge of screaming. "Things may not have been perfect between us, but I did love you! You didn't even give me a chance! I was your _wife _and every day all it was, was you sitting in your little corner staring at your teacher. You never opened up to me, never allowed me to try to ease your pain."

"You call sleeping around 'easing my pain'?" He shook his head in disbelief. "The reason I left you, other than the fact that we never really had much to begin with, was because you slept with other men."

"Maybe if you had cherished me a bit more-..."

"You don't even cherish yourself." With slow movements, Miyagi cupped Risako's face in between his hands, looking down at her seriously. "You have a lot going for yourself, but you don't stop to smell the roses. You use people to sully the parts of yourself that you hate. You're the one who needs pain relief and I'm not the guy who can give it to you."

"You're wrong." Risako's voice was dead-pan, but around the edges of her eyes little glimmers of tears were beginning to form.

"The guy you're with now seems like an okay guy. I've seen him around a few times and he's always on about you. One look at him and you can tell he's crazy about you."

"He's just dating me because I'm rich."

"Risako, you know that's not-..." Miyagi never got to finish, Risako tore away from him, grabbing what looked to be a suitcase. She tore open the front door right as a car pulled up. Startled, the dark-haired man started after her. She threw her luggage into the back and hurried herself into the passenger seat. Before the car drove off she rolled her window down and leaned out of it.

"I'm going to visit Shinobu. I'll be back in a couple of days." She didn't give him time to comment, simply hailed the driver and sped off, Miyagi staring after her.

* * *

The dark-haired girl didn't bother explaining. She simply slipped her bikini top off and grabbed one of Shinobu's hands, placing it over her exposed chest. She resumed her kissing as the door to the light room was opened and two figures walked in. Obscured by the bright beams of light from the lighthouse's lamp, Shinobu couldn't really see who had entered, but a sinking feeling in his stomach gave him a good hint.

"What the hell do you two think you're doing?" Collin bent down beside the two, looking uncharacteristically angry.

"What do you think?" Dollie asked calmly, peering up through her eyelashes at the blond. "Jealous?"

"Get up. Both of you." Seizing her top, the dark-haired girl stood first, looking very calm. She didn't seem disturbed at all by the harsh way Collin was speaking to her, or even the fact that she was half-naked. Shinobu however was confused and in a silent panic. He now knew what Dollie had brought him to the lighthouse for and why she had seemed so eager to have sex with him. "Do you know how much trouble you guys could have gotten in?"

Turning his back on them both, Collin walked over to the control panel and turned the light off, bathing them all in darkness. The second figure flipped on a flashlight and Shinobu recognized him as the guy who had egged him into dancing with Dollie. He turned another flashlight on and handed it to Collin, who was now having tremors of rage.

"So what, you thought it would be a good idea to go gallivanting off in the dark to a lighthouse?" He began, his voice icy cold. The blond began to pace, as if trying to think of what to say next. "You know how dangerous this place is? If you don't know what you're doing you can start fires or get electrocuted!"

"But I knew what I was doing-..." Dollie began, looking somewhat smug. Her expression changed when Collin turned on her, his expression murderous. He raised the flashlight in his hand, as if about to strike her, but instead he simply turned it in his hand so he could get a better look at Shinobu and Dollie. The gray-eyed boy, who had been silent since Collin's arrival, was now feeling unwell.

"Just shut up." Sounding exhausted now, the Aussie turned away from them and to the fourth person in the room. "Give me your shirt." The boy set his flashlight down and did what he was told, tossing his shirt over to Collin, who then threw it at Dollie. "You put that on and then you are going to get back to the house. Lucas will see that you get there."

"No." Dollie hissed, although she did pull the shirt on. "I'm not going anywhere until we talk!"

"There's _nothing _I have to say to you."

"Well there's plenty I want to say to you!"

"Dollie. Go." Collin growled, looking like he was about to go back into his earlier state of anger.

"You never answered me." Dollie laughed bitterly, her fists clenching. "Are you jealous?"

"Not in the way you want me to be."

"Who is she?"

"I told you before, there is no 'she' and even if there were, that's not why we broke up." They had obviously had this conversation before, because Collin sounded suddenly bored.

"Then why did you break up with me? We were perfect together!" She too began to pace, much like the blond had earlier, her movements more nervous. "Did I do something wrong...?"

"I told you before, I don't feel that way about you."

"Yes you do! Otherwise you wouldn't have asked me out!"

"I made a mistake." Collin's voice softened and he caught Dollie by the shoulders, turning her to face him. "I wish I could change how I feel, I wish I could make myself love you, but that's not how things work. No matter how close we get or how hard we work, I'm never going to be what you want. You deserve better."

"I don't." Dollie didn't speak again or look up at Collin, her eyes were locked on the floor as if it was utterly fascinating. She pulled herself out of his grip and turned to stalk over to Lucas. The two of them started down the stairs and after a moment or two Shinobu could see them out the window, walking back towards the house.

"Are you alright?" Collin asked, his blue eyes locking onto Shinobu, who was standing dumbly a foot or two away.

"What are you doing here?" Shinobu hadn't minded being saved from Dollie, but he couldn't imagine it had been easy for Collin to tear himself away from that cute red-head he had been playing with.

"I couldn't find you and a couple of people told me they saw you and Dolls heading up towards the lighthouse."

"What about that girl you were with? What happened to her?"

"You mean my baby cousin?" Collin looked confused at first, but then he put two and two together. "Dollie lied to you, she knows that, that's my cousin. What did she say?"

"That you like to play with people." Shinobu's voice was wavering, his throat felt dry all over again, like he had gone days without anything to drink. "Isn't that what you're doing with me?"

"No! Are you crazy?"

"Then why were you all over that girl?"

"I told you! She was my cousin! I was telling her about-... About us." Collin shook his head, turning his blue eyes out onto the ocean. "Dollie used you. She wanted me to see you two together and get jealous, so she could 'forgive' me and take me back."

"But why would she do that?" Shinobu's voice was a whisper now. It was all making sense now, though he wasn't quite sure what to believe. Collin turned his head to look at the honey-haired boy, his face showing concern.

"C'mere for a second."

The Japanese boy complied, stepping over to Collin. Gently the blond ran his fingers over the reddening mark on Shinobu's face from where Dollie had hit him. Looking more and more troubled, the Aussie pulled the smaller into a hug, murmuring apologies into Shinobu's ears, who didn't really understand much of what was being said, but liked the tone that Collin was using.

"I think I'm kind of falling for you." The blond sighed, giving Shinobu no time to give any sort of response. Instead he brought their lips together for a kiss, which got deeper and deeper with every second that passed. The gray-eyed boy knew the kind of kiss Collin was giving him, Miyagi had done it all the time, right before any kind of intimate moment.

_Don't think about him. _Shinobu told himself, doing his best to return the blond's kiss. _Don't think about Miyagi. _

"I want you." Collin sighed, sliding his hands slowly down Shinobu's sides to his waist. "Can I?"

"Yes." Shocked by the confidence in his own voice, the shorter boy pulled the Aussie to the floor. He had never imagined he would ever meet anyone that he would want in the ways that he had wanted Miyagi and yet here he was with a beautiful Australian boy, about to make love in a lighthouse.

The setting was perfect, the boy was warm and inviting, but Shinobu couldn't help but feel wrong as he allowed Collin to sweep him away.

* * *

Shinobu woke to the soft scent of clean sheets and the feeling of warm sun. His body was sore, but after a good stretch it wasn't as severe. His pale gray eyes opened to see that he was back at the beach-house, in the master bedroom, tucked in beside Collin. A rush of embarrassment came over him as he stared at the sleeping face of the Aussie.

That was not the only thing that threw the honey-haired boy for a loop. He couldn't remember the trip back from the lighthouse, or even the trek up to the master bedroom. He hadn't remembered seeing any guests and wondered if there were any downstairs. The only thing he found he could remember was the second round that he had so shamefully insisted on having.

_I've really done it now... _Shinobu thought with a grimace, sitting up. A sharp stab of pain shot up his back and he had to bite his tongue sharply to keep from making any noise that would wake Collin. The Australian was nowhere near as experienced as Miyagi and Shinobu had the aching backside to prove it.

Half crawling, half dragging himself, he made his way off the bed to the floor. The bathroom was only a couple feet away, and as long as he moved slowly, he was sure he could make it without causing too much damage. Using the door frame and the wall he picked himself up off the ground, gritting his teeth from the effort. After a small struggle he was sure it would be smooth sailing. All he had to do was soak in a hot bath for a bit and he would regain enough of his mobility to at least be able to function.

Lady Luck was not on his side. Collin was stirring on the bed, Shinobu's body was threatening to give up on him, and worst of all, something wet was now dripping down the smaller boy's legs. It was too late for him to duck into the bathroom, so he didn't even bother attempting. Gray eyes met blue and the two of them stared at one another for a long time. A weak laugh came from behind Shinobu's clenched teeth and he tore his gaze away.

"This is all a bad dream..." Shinobu griped, allowing himself to sink back down to the floor, where his pride was currently pooling around his feet. (Quite literally.)

"I dunno, I kind of like where this is going." Collin's voice drifted from the other side of the room, sounding far too sultry. "Do you need some help? What are you trying to do?"

"I want to take a bath."

"Give me half a moment and I'll get you in there." Untangling himself from the sheets, the blond rose from the bed, not an ounce of clothing on him. Shinobu choked on his own saliva and coughed, Collin smiled in mirth. "What?"

"Put some clothes on!" He demanded, his ears burning.

"What for? You saw me naked last night."

"Doesn't mean I want to see you naked every day from now on!" Shinobu simply loathed the way his voice had risen an octave or two and was showing no signs of stopping.

"Touchy little thing, aint'cha?" Moving laboriously slow, the Aussie found some clothes and pulled them on, catching Shinobu's eye every time the boy looked up to check on his progress. "Your tune sure has changed from the one you were humming last night."

"Last night I was drunk. _Very_drunk."

"Is that what they're calling it these days?" Collin chuckled a little to himself as he walked over, kneeling down next to the gray-eyed monster on the floor. "You're all messy."

"S'cuz you came inside-..."

"You were the one who begged me to."

"I did not!" Squirming in horror at his roommate's words, he strained to remember if he really had done such a scandalous thing. While Shinobu pondered, Collin wasted no time in helping him to the bathtub. He hooked one arm up under the backs of the smaller's knees, his other arm snaked around his waist. "Don't pick me up! You'll get it all over you!"

"It's fine." The blond insisted, speaking in a more serious tone. It didn't last long and a crooked smile spread across his face. "Besides, I had lots of yours on me last night."

"We are no longer having this conversation!" Clamping his hands over his ears, Shinobu did his best to block out anything else that the 'that idiot Collin' could come up with. He was mortified enough without having some sort of kinky conversation first thing in the morning. "You really gotta work on being gentler!"

"Says the boy who demanded I 'thrust harder'~"

"I'm sorry I opened my fat mouth..." Shinobu's bath was a sulky one, spent drowning in a sea of Collin's snide comments about every little embarrassing thing had done the night before. The only thing he had enjoyed, though he would never admit it, was the heat of the water and the taller's large hands working soap through his hair. "H-Hey... We're dating now, right?"

"Kind of a dumb question Mate."

"Can't you just give me a direct answer?"

"Well..." Two blue eyes fogged with thought as Collin chewed over the question. "It depends on what you want. I'd like to go out with you, but if you don't like me then I don't see much point. It's really up to you."

Shinobu nodded some, his heart thrumming noisily in his chest. What did he want? He liked Collin, he knew that much, but he still couldn't quite see the two of them together. He still felt tied to the older man he had left behind in Japan and he wondered if he would ever be able to sever those ties. That, and if Collin was willing to wait around for him to do so. It wasn't likely that Shinobu was going to completely give up on Miyagi, at least not for a long while.

"I need some time to think about it." He decided, glancing at the blond to gauge his reaction. He had never seen his roommate look so upset, though he was trying his best to play it off. "I'm sorry if that's not the answer you wanted."

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

After a warm bath and a fresh change of clothes, Shinobu was feeling more like himself. He journeyed downstairs and was surprised to find the house clean, no signs of the party anywhere. No plastic cups, beer bottles, streamers, anything. The house was just as it was when they had arrived, if not a little bit cleaner. The icing on the cake however was the breakfast set out in the kitchen.

Both Collin and Shinobu were equally surprised to find a small banquet of foods set out for them to enjoy. A note came attached to the meal, from Dollie, no less.

"Collin, Shinobu, I'm sorry for last night's actions and I know this doesn't exactly make up for it, but I had to try. Enjoy your last day together on break and I will see you when you get back to school. I went home with a friend, so don't worry about me. Hugs and kisses, Dollie." Collin read the note in a deadpan voice, showing that he was still quite angry with the brunette. "This doesn't change much for me. What about you?"

"Well... Might as well enjoy breakfast. You have a whole day to think about what you're going to say to her when you get back to school."

"I guess you're right." Collin set the note to the side and returned to his chipper self. "Besides, I'm not one to turn down a good meal." The food, both of them had to admit, was pretty amazing. They ate as much of it as they could, storing the rest away for some form of lunch or dinner. Neither one was very good at cooking and they knew they needed to save whatever edibles they had on hand.

"What now? We have the whole day and night in this beach-house."

"We could always pick up where we left off last night-..."

"Is that all you think about?" Shinobu squeaked, his face flushing. "Seriously, what should we do?"

"Are you feeling any better? Your back and all, I mean." The taller's eyes were focused out on the ocean, a dreamy sort of look inside them.

"Yeah, I'm feeling alright. Why? What do you have in mind?"

"How would you like to learn to surf?"

"Excuse me?" Shaking his head furiously, Shinobu stepped back and away from the blond. "No way. I can barely swim! What makes you think I can surf?"

"It's not _that _hard." Collin insisted, taking one of the honey-haired boy's hands. He laced their fingers and smiled lightly at the hesitant boy. "I'll take care of you." Shinobu wasn't convinced, but he knew better than to argue. Collin never listened to much of anything he said anyways.

* * *

"Kamijou, I have a huge problem." Miyagi was practically sprawled out on Hiroki's desk. The Devil-Kamijou was clearly not amused and began to reach for a large book, intending to use it to bludgeon his superior to death. The older man scrambled away just in time. "I'm seri~ous!"

"You're _always _serious and it's _always_something stupid!" Hiro hissed, deciding his book might make a better projectile than bludgeon. He shut one eye and looked down the spine, attempting to aim right for Miyagi's head. He had had lots of practice with throwing things at his students, there was no way he could miss his co-worker at such close rage. Sensing the frontal attack, Miyagi ducked just in time to avoid a Literature shot to the head.

"You're such an abusive lover!"

"I'm not your lover! Now sit down at get to work Professor!"

"I can't grade right now! Besides, they're all F's anyways." The dark-haired man shook his head in disgust. His opportunistic summer class had actually turned out to be a bunch of failing losers, barley hanging on. "They don't pay attention, they make rude jokes-... The only student that had any hope was my ex-wife and I kicked her out of the class long before it really got into session!"

"What do you want me to do about it? Huh?"

"You could start by kissing my shattered pride better. Then perhaps you could treat me to drinks. Followed by an empowering encouragement speech, spoken from the bottom of your heart while you sit in my lap-..."

"I'd rather burn in hell." Kamijou hissed, bristling with annoyance.

"But Kami~jou! You don't know the kind of week I've been having!" Miyagi was now whining, having found his way back to Hiro's desk. "My ex-wife drove my car into a lake and tried to seduce me and Shinobu didn't call me once!" Thought he had been in whiny mode moments earlier, Miyagi couldn't help but lose his playful facade the moment Shinobu's name was mentioned.

The air in the office he shared with Hiroki changed instantly, as did the brunette's body language. He stood up and gripped Miyagi by the shoulders, pushing the older man into his desk chair. He returned to his own desk, but this time turned his own seat to face Miyagi. He wasn't sure why he felt so inclined to listen to his co-worker's relationship problems, but he did it regaurdless.

"He still hasn't called?" Hiro began, feeling a little awkward asking.

"No... I left a few messages on his phone, but nothing." Miyagi slumped a little, feeling a weight slam down on top of him, making his chest feel a little tight. "He's definitely the kind of guy who disappears for a while without saying a damn thing, but this is just ridiculous. He can't ignore me forever! Can... He?"

Miyagi wasn't used to feeling so unsure about things. Actually, that was a lie. With Shinobu things had always been so unstable, so unpredictable. He never knew what the boy was thinking or feeling. There were a few moments when Shinobu had come out to say whatever was on his mind, but the times were few and far between. Miyagi never knew if he was making progress or not, but he had never felt inclined to stop trying.

"Um... Hypothetically..." The brunette began, looking away so he didn't have to meet Miyagi's gave. "Let's say I have experience with this sort of thing. Let's say, _hypothetically_, someone important to me vanished for about a year. No calls, no letters, not even a goodbye. You can imagine I was out of my mind wondering what had happened."

"I mean, you can't just drop a life you've built with someone and leave like that. You have to give some kind of notice. Tell the person that you want to be alone or whatever, right?" Hiro's voice was beginning to grow quiet. From the odd look in his eyes, Miyagi could tell that in no way shape or form was his friend speaking in a hypothetical sense. "If he hasn't returned your calls or sent you any kind of word, there's a chance that he's set out to do something. He might not be able to openly tell you what it is just yet."

"He might be working really hard on a goal that he's trying to reach. Some kind of focal point that he's trying to get to. I could be totally wrong, but maybe Shinobu's trying to accomplish something. Maybe something good, maybe something not so good. Either way you have to accept things as they are. When he's ready to talk to you, if he ever is, he'll come find you. He just has to finish up what he's doing first."

"My, such convincing words. Are you sure this is all pretend?" Miyagi smiled a bit, reaching out a hand to brush some of Hiro's hair out of his face. The smaller man jerked back harshly, the wild look returning to his eyes.

"Of course not! Like I would ever be so pathetic to wait on someone like that!" With an indignant glare and a soft snort of anger, the Devil-Kamijou turned his back to his superior and started on the stacks of paper lining his desk. "If you're not going to grade any papers, then you can at least give me a hand filing all these. You were the one who mussed them up afterall."

* * *

"That's correct, I'd like to cancel my cellphone service." Making a very important phone call, in the middle of an airport terminal, Risako stood very still. She was just about to board her plane, but first she needed to take care of some loose ends. "That's right, the account name is Shinobu Takatsuki. ...The reason...? I have no more need of the service that you're providing."

"By this afternoon? Yes, that's acceptable. Thank you. You have a nice day too." With a snap, the dark-haired woman shut her phone, turning to get in line, now ready to board.

* * *

"I told you, you could do it!" Excitement was dripping from every word out of Collin's mouth as he spoke. With his guidance Shinobu had somehow managed to get on a surfboard and actually ride out a few waves. He was by no means ready to take it up as a hobby, but he had to admit, it was pretty enjoyable.

"I had a pretty good teacher." Shinobu murmured modestly, blushing a little at the stream of compliments coming from his roommate. They had just walked into the beach-house when a familiar noise filled the smaller's ears. He tried to remember where he had heard the noise before and then it hit him. It was his cellphone!

Rushing up to his room he yanked the device out of his suitcase and flipped it open. He noticed with a bit of a start that he had three voice mails. Collin appeared in the doorway of his room, an odd sort of look in the blond's eyes. Shinobu couldn't quite determine what it meant, but he didn't have a lot of time to spend trying to figure it out.

"Just wait downstairs for me." He tried to make his voice sound nonchalant, but it came out a little too hysteric. "Please?"

"Alright, just don't be long." There was a tenseness about the way Collin was speaking. He turned away from the boy with the phone and retreated downstairs, his heart sinking. He had easily guessed who it was who had called. Shinobu however could only hope it was who he thought it was.

"Miyagi." Waiting impatiently for his phone to connect to his voice-mail box, Shinobu held his breath. It _had _to be Miyagi, no one else really called him for anything. Certainly not his family. If they wanted to talk to him they would have called the school-line. "C'mon, connect already!"

"_I'm sorry, your voice mail could not be retrieved. Service to your number has been disconnected. If you believe this is in error, please hang up and try your call again-..."_

"Disconnected?" Staring at his phone in rage, the gray-eyed boy pitched it across the room, where it hit the floor with a dull thud and bounced. "That's just great." His heart had sunk so low that he was sure it had found a new home, hiding behind his liver. (Or other such nonsense.) He could feel it in every part of his being, the voice-mails had surely been from Miyagi. No one else would have left them.

"You hungry mate? I can heat up that food-..." Footsteps could be heard on the stairs as Collin climbed them. Shinobu quickly scrambled into a laying position on the bed, his back turned to the door. He knew it was bratty, but he didn't much care to talk to the Aussie. He shut his eyes right as the door opened. "Shinobu?"

The blond crept over to the small body curled up on the bed. His eyes took in the phone on the floor and the state that Shinobu was in. Shaking his head a little he grabbed some of the sheets and pulled them back, settling them over the 'sleeping' boy. He placed a very light kiss on the side of Shinobu's face and turned to leave the room, hesitating long enough to turn the lights off.

The darkness was a relief to Shinobu, along with the cool sheets nestled all around him. Through the windows he could see an ocean of stars in the sky, all dancing and sparkling around a full moon. They shined their light down into his room, basking him in their nighttime glow. He glanced tentatively over his shoulder at the little phone on the floor. Crawling from his little nest, he scooped up the phone in both palms and set his forehead against it.

It was his one connection to Miyagi, the beach-house didn't have any kind of land line. Along with the fact that somewhere in it's data, three voice-mails were lying in wait, no doubt preserving whatever message the older man had been trying to relay. As Shinobu slipped back into bed he tried to imagine what kinds of things the messages could have said.

They might have told the boy that he was missed. That he was all Miyagi thought about and how nothing in the world could replace him. How he wanted nothing more than for Shinobu to come home right away. A little out of character for the man, but not totally impossible. As he ran through a dozen or so imagined messages, Shinobu seeped into a heavy state of sleep.

* * *

Collin and Shinobu hadn't spoken much since leaving the beach-house. The blond had seemed irritated about something and the Japanese boy could only guess it had to do with his own behavior. He felt a tinge guilty, he had certainly lead his roommate on without a whole lot of real serious intent behind it. He liked Collin and they got along, couldn't that be enough for now? Did Shinobu really have to commit so soon?

He had a long ride back to the school to think about such things, which soon put him into a bad mood himself. He was practically singing songs of joy when the school parking lot came into view. Collin couldn't park his car fast enough, so Shinobu hopped out a little before it came to a full stop, standing back to avoid being run over. He was going to help unpack when a familiar figure caught his eye.

"Risako?" Jaw dropping a little, Shinobu ditched the blond and hurried over to his sister. She had clearly been expecting him, having made a little make-shift camp on the sidewalk. "What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk, but first, how are you?" Standing up, the dark-haired woman wrapped her arms around her brother and pulled him into an awkward hug.

"I'm fine. How are you?"

"Not so good I'm afraid."

"What's wrong?" Shinobu asked, turning his head up to face her. About this time his roommate had walked over to scold him, but stopped short seeing the look on Risako's face.

"What's going on?" Collin wondered, tapping one of the shorter boy's shoulders.

"This is my sister, Risako. Risako, this is my friend Collin." Recoiling a little at the term 'friend', the Aussie reached a hand over to take hold of one of the woman's hands, shaking it stiffly. "Now, what's going on?"

"You might want to sit down." Taking Shinobu by the shoulders, his sister steered him over to one of the nearby benches. She sat him down and took a seat beside him, fumbling around inside her bag for something. Collin took up a perch on the other side of Shinobu and peered curiously over him. Risako pulled out a rolled up paper and handed it delicately to her brother, a grim expression on her face. "Do you recognize that car?"

A numbness shot through Shinobu's veins, completely paralyzing him at the sight of the article on the front page of the paper she had handed him. He didn't need to read the article, the headline said it all. 'Car found in local lake, driver missing, presumed drowned'. His mouth opened to say something, but his mouth was like desert sand.

"Who's car is that?" Collin whispered, a little alarmed by the look on the shorter's face. The color had drained from his skin and he looked like a fish out of water, trying desperately to suck in oxygen. "Shinobu?"

"You found him though, right?" Voice a little choked up, brother looked up at sister in a desperate way, his gray-eyes searching hers with desperation. "You guys found him and he's okay. Right? You found... Miyagi... Right?"

_Miyagi. _The name rang in the blond's ears like some kind of siren. He felt a little sick himself and had to stand up and pace a bit. Shinobu turned to look at him, face like stone.

"Collin... Do you know something?"

"Not exactly." The Aussie confessed, his voice seizing up on him. "I... I might have neglected to tell you about a phone call you received from him a couple weeks ago."

"You did what?" From blank to furious, Shinobu jumped to his feet and latched onto the front of Collin's shirt, shaking him a little. "You had to right to do that! I could have-... I could have talked to him!"

"You don't know for sure that he's missing! Maybe he got out and just hasn't had a chance to come foreward yet!"

"You bastard! I'm sorry I ever got involved with you!"

"Shinobu, calm down some." Wrapping her arms tightly around him, Risako pulled her brother off the startled Australian. "Shh... It's okay. I didn't bring that here to scare you. We're all looking for him and I promise I'll keep you updated."

"I could have talked to Miyagi." Still in a fit of anger, Shinobu shook his sister off and turned away from both of them. Clenching his fists he snatched the paper up and started for his dorm room. Veins were throbbing in his head as he went, his mind burning with a million hateful thoughts, all aimed at the blond he had left behind. He had always known that Collin was bad news. He seemed decent on the outside, but he was messed up. "What kind of person answers someone else's phone and then doesn't tell them about it? Especially something that important!"

A few students turned to look at Shinobu, startled looks on their faced. They cleared out of his way, making no effort to stop his rampage. He finally reached his floor and his room. Wrenching open the door he walked inside, tossing himself down on his bed. He lifted the article up so he could look at it once more, hoping that he had made some kind of mistake. That it wasn't really Miyagi's car he had seen.

No such luck.

Exhaustion replaced fury and he took a few breaths to calm himself. He set the paper to the side and turned his back on it. He couldn't stand to look at it, at least not at the moment. He slipped his hand down into his pocket and drew out his phone, first dialing his voice-mail.

"_I'm sorry, your voice mail could not be retrieved. Service to your number has been-..."_

He snapped the phone shut and began to dial another number. A number he hadn't dialed for a long, long time.

"_I'm sorry, your call could not be completed as dialed. Service to your number has been disconnected-..."_

Shinobu shut his phone again and set it beside him on the bed. His head was whirling and he felt like he was on some kind of spinning ride that just wouldn't stop. His vision was beginning to fog up, giving his feeling of veritgo some extra steam. It was impossible, there's no way Miyagi would crash into some lake. He had no reason to even be anywhere near a lake, unless-...

"I never answered his calls. He must have thought the wrong thing and-..." Shinobu couldn't finish his own thought.


	12. The Call

**Little bit of a shorter chapter this time around because the next one is going to be building up to the finale! {That and I seem to have a fascination with ending every chapter on some form of cliffhanger. *shot*}**

**Thank you all for being such kind readers! 3 I can't wait to take you guys all the way to the end. ;w;**

* * *

Miyagi could stand it no longer. He refused to ride the train to and fro from work. He didn't care what the cost, he wasn't going to deal with the crowds and the hustle and bustle. With a new set of keys in hand, the dark-haired man left the rental car agency, practically skipping. The car wasn't anything special, just a simple silver compact car, but to Miyagi, it may as well have been loaded with gold and jewels.

He tossed himself down in the driver's side and started the car up, squirming in satisfaction at the sound of the motor running. He pulled on his seat belt and cranked up the radio, in too good a mood to make much fuss over picking a particular radio station. His ride to work was the best he had, had in weeks, possibly even better than when he had gotten his car from the repair shop. (Before it had gotten stolen and sunk.)

He parked his shiny rental in his normal spot at the university and stepped out, all smiles. Even his lousy class of students couldn't darken his mood, because today was the start of something wonderful.

"Ka~Mi~Jo~ I'm having such a good day!" Miyagi pushed his rolling office chair over and bumped into the brunette's, causing the smaller man's arm to jerk, a long pen mark appearing across his paper.

"OI! Look what you did!" Hissing in rage, Hiroki scrambled to find some correcting liquid. "You have it I bet! You're always taking my office supplies!" Sure enough, when he went to investigate Miyagi's desk, the correcting liquid was hiding behind a stack of papers titled: Final Exam.

"Is _this_ why you're so excited?" Snagging one of the paper packets off the top of the stack, Hiro held the final exam out for his superior to see. "I mean, I enjoy watching those kids sweat as much as the next person, but don't you think you're going overboard a bit Professor?"

"It's not just that..." Miyagi hummed, pushing him back over towards his desk, this time running his chair straight into Kamijou.

"Will you stop that?"

"Look." Paying no mind to Hiro's fussing, the older man dug through his bag until he found a small envelope. He pulled it out and held it up for his co-worker to see. Still miffed, the brunette took the envelope and opened it up to view the contents. Inside was nothing more than a small rectangle of paper. A plane ticket, bound for Australia.

"You're sure about this?"

"I leave the day after the final exams are over." Miyagi took the ticket and envelope back, holding them almost delicately. "I figured the worst he can do is reject me, right?"

"Well, yeah, but that's a long way to go just to get rejected." Hiro carefully, albeit awkwardly, set his hand on his friend's head. "I'm not saying you shouldn't go, but be prepared for the worst, alright?"

"After the kind of summer I've had Kamijou, I think I'm pretty much ready for anything."

* * *

"Are you ever going to talk to me again?" Playing with some of his long blond hair, Collin stared miserably at the boy in the bed next to his. Shinobu hadn't so much as breathed a word to his roommate for almost three days, unable to get over the fact that due to the blond's idiocy, he had missed the only chance he had to talk to Miyagi. "C'mon Mate, I'm sorry."

"You're sorry. You didn't know. You didn't mean to." The gray-eyed boy's voice was laced with venom. "You can say all that till you're blue in the face, but I'm never going to forgive you."

"Well... At least you said something." Trying to lighten the mood, Collin smiled at Shinobu, but the angry boy simply glared back before turning away to face the wall. "You can't keep holing yourself up in here. Your sister keeps asking to see you and I've run out of excuses."

"Funny... You haven't run out of excuses why I missed my phone call."

"Shinobu! Stop it already!" Exasperated the Aussie got up off his bed and onto the honey-haired boy's. He lightly placed his palm down on Shinobu's back. "I'm sorry. I mean that."

"Get off."

"You need to get up. You're going to make yourself sick worrying about-... Miyagi I think it was."

"Don't say his name." Covering his ears lightly, the smaller boy buried his face deeply into his pillow. The last thing he wanted was to think about Miyagi, he much preferred seething over Collin's mistake. "Just leave me alone."

"Shinobu, there's no proof that anything happened to him. He could have gotten out and there's just no news about him." The blond's voice softened and he ran his fingers lightly though Shinobu's tangled hair, leaning over to rest his head lightly against his roommate's back. "The summer term is almost over. You can take your exams and then go back to Japan to look for him. I'll even buy your plane ticket."

"I said get off!" Shinobu pushed himself up harshly, turning so he could shove Collin back off his bed and to the floor. "I don't want you to do anything for me except leave me alone." Looking wounded, the Aussie stood up and headed for the door.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

"It's a shame we didn't get to hang out much while I was here. I didn't mean to upset you so much." Risako's voice was light, nearly emotionless. She hummed as she paced around the small dorm room. "You should have given me a tour of your school."

"It's not that special." Shinobu griped, starring dully up at his older-sister. "You'll keep looking for Miyagi when you head back to Japan, right?"

"I promise. If I find him I'll send word to you right away."

"Thank you." Swallowing roughly, the gray-eyed boy rose from his bed to give his sister a light hug. He had never been very close to her, mostly due to their age difference, but he loved her all the same. "I probably won't be coming home for the holidays."

"I'll let Mom and Dad know." Throwing some of her dark hair over her shoulders, the woman wrapped her arms around the distraught boy. "Just do your best to pass your exams. Then you can enjoy your time off before the fall term starts."

"Oh, Risako, before I forget. When you get back to Japan can you see why my cellphone service has been turned off?"

"Anything for you." Giving Shinobu one last tight hug, Risako pulled away and started for the door. She had to hide the little sneer that was forming from his request. "Call me on the school-line if you need anything."

* * *

"Grading all these papers sure is a pain!" Miyagi was beginning to see little red ink circles everywhere he looked. His students had done better on their exams than he expected, but still the grades were stifling. "I honestly wonder how many of them payed attention!"

"Maybe your heart wasn't as into teaching as it normally is." Hiroki suggested, leaning over Miyagi's shoulder to look at the test he was currently grading. "My students all got top marks."

"Only because you threatened them with their lives!"

"You do what you have to do sometimes."

"Story of my life." The older man huffed, shaking his head. "When we get off work, do you want to go get some coffee or something?"

"Oh-... Ah-... I can't. I'm meeting someone." Looking flustered, 'Devil' Kamijou turned away from Miyagi, trying as hard as he could to hide his embarrassment. It wasn't as if his co-worker didn't already know who he was meeting, but still the younger man felt the need to be secretive.

"Must be nice to be young and in love~"

"Oh come off it! Get back to work!" Hiro exclaimed, waving a book threateningly toward Miyagi, who couldn't help but smirk as he continued on his quest to grade the stack of exams in front of him. The older man never ran out of new ways to tease his subordinate.

He took his time, being sure to pour over the tests to make sure he graded each and every one of them accurately. By the time he was finished, he was glad Hiro had rejected his offer to get coffee, the clock showed half-past midnight. He tidied his desk and gathered his things, starting out into the night.

The air was growing cool and the leaves on the trees had already started to change color and fall off the trees. Fall was steadily approaching, leaving summer behind like a faded memory. It was hard for the dark-haired man to imagine that just a few short months ago things between him and Shinobu had been pretty much normal.

That is, except for the distance that had grown between them, highly due to Miyagi's busy schedule at the time.

_I really wish I had made more time for you. _Though there really was no use in wishing to go back and change the past, the man couldn't help himself. He wished he had been kinder to Shinobu, made more of an effort to be there for him. The regrets were too numerous. _Stupid brat... What makes you think you have the right to make me feel so lonely? _

His house had felt emptier and emptier with each day since Shinobu had left. There was no longer a grumpy voice welcoming him home. The smell of cabbage being pitifully burnt in a pan had faded away. Even the soft sound of Shinobu's footsteps on the floor was gone. Little things that Miyagi had never taken much notice of were gone from his life and more noticeable than ever.

It hadn't of been so bad before, when he doubted he would hear or see Shinobu again, but now that he would soon be facing the boy who had left him he felt uneasy. It was making Miyagi more and more aware of the empty space left behind by Shinobu's absence. He didn't know what he would say when he saw him again, how he would explain why things had ended how they had. How he would explain the lack of phone-calls over the summer. How he would explain that Shinobu was still the most important person in the world to him.

Miyagi knew that it wasn't going to be a pretty reunion, but if he didn't face it, he would lose any chance he had left to get him back.

* * *

"I told you that it was a bad idea to lay around in bed all day sulking." Collin was busy dabbing at the sweat on Shinobu's forehead, brought about by a fever. "You haven't been eating right."

"I wasn't hungry." Shinobu grumbled in his defense from around a thermometer. He pushed the washcloth away from his face as the timer began to beep. Collin quickly yanked the device out of the other's mouth and looked at the screen.

"One-hundred two."

"You don't have to take care of me. I'm fine."

"You are not fine! This isn't healthy. If you don't cut this out I'm going to be forced to call the school nurse up here to take you to the infirmary." Collin's voice was firm and Shinobu knew better than to think he was bluffing.

"It's just a fever."

"I don't care what it is!" Irritated and still hurt from rejection the day before, Collin's voice took on the same angry tone it had when he'd caught Dollie and Shinobu up in the lighthouse. "This is ridiculous! Your arms are not broken, use your phone and call your Ex up! See if he answers!"

"I don't have service!"

"C'mon Mate! Your mobile phone isn't the only phone in the world you know! The school has a line you can use! They even let you make international calls if you pay fee."

"But-..." It wasn't as if Shinobu hadn't thought about using the school-line, it's just that he wasn't sure what the result would be. If Miyagi didn't answer the phone, then what would happen? Would he be able to deal with the outcome?

"Just because he doesn't answer, doesn't mean he's not there." Collin murmured, lightly brushing some of the honey colored bangs out of Shinobu's face. "Look, I know you're not a big fan of mine at the moment, but I'm here for you. I like you Shinobu, more than I've liked anyone. I'll do anything I can to help you out, even if that means letting you go."

"What do you mean letting me go?" Turning his gray-eyes on the Aussie's face, a flutter of heart activity started up in Shinobu's chest.

"Your Ex would have been one hell of a guy to keep up with all your hysterics. He's got to have more sense than to go throwing himself into a lake. Use your head!"

"That doesn't answer my question. Collin."

"I think I've fallen for you." The blond confessed, turning his blue eyes up towards the ceiling. "The worst part about caring about someone, is knowing when you have might have to say goodbye someday. If you get in contact with that guy, I'll go get one of my cabs from work, and we'll get you on the first plane back to Japan. I'll make sure you see him again."

The room grew silent as Shinobu chewed over Collin's words, pang of guilt throbbing in his chest. He hadn't had a clue just exactly how much the Aussie had cared for him, but it was becoming blatantly obvious. Yeah, Collin had made a mistake, but was Shinobu really going to be the kind of person to hold that against him forever? Especially after everything that Collin was trying to do for him?

"I'm sorry." Pushing himself up into a sitting position, Shinobu seized one of Collin's hands and dragged him up onto the bed, wrapping his arms tightly around the blond's waist. "I'm not really good with words or anything, but I'm really grateful to have met you."

"I'm glad too. It's been a wild ride, but it's been fun too." Collin laughed, somewhat shakily, and returned the smaller boy's hug. "Let's go see if we can't get a hold of that Ex of yours."

* * *

With a strong arm wrapped tightly around Shinobu's waist, the Aussie led the way to the room where the phone was kept. It's specific purpose was for students who wanted to call their family or friends, but due to the rise in cellphone ownership, it wasn't used often. The room was hardly big enough for the two of them, filled with a bench and a table, to which an old style corded phone was bolted down.

"This is cozy." Collin observed, having to hold Shinobu in his lap for the most part.

"Just shut up and tell me what to do." His fever was making him feel weak enough without Collin adding to his pain with his snide comments.

"I'll put enough money in to give you about five minutes of talk time. You pick up the receiver, then you press 'one' and dial out the number you want to call." As he explained this, he began to put money into slot on the wall. "Remember you only have five minutes. I'd give you more time but this is a lot more expensive than I thought."

"Says the boy who swore up and down he would do whatever it took-..."

"Within reason! I'm a poor college student. We don't all have money like you."

"Yeah, yeah," Shinobu huffed, leaning back against Collin so he could rest. Maybe it was his fever or maybe it was the overwhelming feelings that had cropped up from what he was about to do. His body felt shaky and weak and he wondered if he would even be able to dial correctly.

"I'm going to step out to give you some privacy." The blond offered, sliding Shinobu out of his lap and onto the bench. The gray-eyed boy turned to look up at the Aussie, giving him a nervous stare before turning back to the phone. He picked up the receiver, punched in a one, then dialed Miyagi's number.

"Please answer." Shinobu whispered, saying it almost like a mantra. One ring. Two. Three. Four. His heart began to clench up and sink. "Answer."

* * *

_Toothbrush. _Check. _A few changes of clothes. _Check. _Passport and carry-on bag. _Check.

Miyagi was busily going over his list before getting ready to leave for the airport. Hiro was waiting (Impatiently of course.) in the doorway, intending to drive Miyagi and drop him off, that way he could return the rental car. The two didn't say much as they road the elevator down to the parking garage, nor did they speak on the way to the airport.

Hiro could tell Miyagi was nervous, if not by his silence then by the mass amount of cigarettes he had lighted and snuffed out before smoking. The brunette hardly ever saw his superior so uptight and although he knew he should offer some encouragement, he couldn't seem to get his tongue untied.

"I hope you find what you're looking for." Not really one for fancy speeches, Kamijou hoped his words would at least calm Miyagi down enough to get him to the terminal.

"Thank you Kamijou, you always know just what to say to get me in the mood~" It was Miyagi's way of saying thank you, cracking a joke and flashing a smile.

"You're so messed up in the head."

Both men had something of a bond, though neither one was going to get real fancy with explaining how it worked. Miyagi understood what kind of person Hiro was and Kamijou knew how Miyagi was in return. In the few years they had known one another, they had formed a funny kind of friendship that either one doubted would be disappearing anytime soon. It was probably that friendship that had kept them mostly sane during some of the more difficult periods of their lives.

"You take care of that kid, alright?" Jabbing Hiro in the side with his index finger, Miyagi leered in satisfaction as the brunette jumped in his seat.

"You want to crash the friggen rental? Last time you bothered me while driving I crashed into a light pole!" As the smaller man was about to go on a tangent Miyagi's cellphone began to ring. They exchanged a glance before the phone was retrieved from a carry-on bag.

"I don't know the number." Miyagi murmured flatly, trying to make out anything that might tell him who was calling. When he couldn't find a single thing he recognized, he simply pressed the End Call button. "It was probably a sales call."

* * *

"He hung up on me." Shinobu sighed, walking out of the phone room. The Aussie had been waiting outside when the gray-eyed boy came out, looking misty-eyed and defeated.

"Call again!" Collin exclaimed, pushing his roommate back towards the phone.

"No!"

"Shinobu, if he hung up on you he was obviously there to physically do it! I bet he just didn't recognize the number you were calling from."

"Wait-..." Finally it had seemed to click in the smaller boy's mind. The fever was obviously warping his train of thought, otherwise he too might have come to the same conclusion as Collin.

"There still should be money in the machine for you to make another call with, unless the damn thing ripped us off." The blond walked in first, picking up the phone to check for a dial-tone. "You're good! Come in here and make your call."

Collin cleared out of the smaller room and allowed Shinobu inside, who quickly took his seat on the bench again. He picked up the phone and began to dial again, first a one, then Miyagi's number. After propping the phone against his shoulder and the side of his head, he leaned back to wait again. One ring, two, three-...

"Pick up Miyagi, you-..."

"Ah, hello...?"

"I-Idiot..."

* * *

**FINALLY! Miyagi and Shinobu have made contact! *A***


	13. He Isn't

**Annnnnnnnnnnd, here it is~ Another chapter up and ready for reading! This will probably be a 15 chapter story, the next chapter being the last and the one after that something like an Afterward piece. 3 Thank you all for reading! I've gotten a lot of nice reviews from so many people and it's really nice of you to take the time to comment and read. Which I know, that's what is for and all, but I still am very grateful!**

**Please keep looking forward to the last chapters. 3**

**And thank you, as always, to my lovely Editor. Without which, my stories would be grammar-bad. ;D**

* * *

"I-Idiot."

"Who is this?" Miyagi's whole body was tense, and he unconsciously gripped his phone tighter in his hand. There was no way the voice on the other line could be who he thought it was, and yet, part of him prayed that it would be. "Are you going to answer me or not?"

"Miyagi, it's me." That was all the convincing that the dark-haired man needed.

"Shinobu." For the first time in weeks, Miyagi was able to say the boy's name and not feel like he was talking about someone who had passed away. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Hiroki looking at him with a wildly stunned expression. The brunette had just succeeded in finding parking at the airport when Shinobu had called. "Where are you?"

"I'm calling from my school's line." The voice from the other line sounded uneasy, as if he expected Miyagi to just suddenly blow up at him. The older man had no intentions of such a thing, he was so relieved just to hear Shinobu's voice again, he couldn't even think about being angry. "Where are you?"

"Well... Actually I was on my way to the airport to fly out there."

"Fly out here? NO! Don't come out here!"

"...Why not...?" Miyagi's heart sunk, he just knew he was about to be rejected. Shinobu had most likely found someone his age that he liked better and that was it for the literature-loving professor. "Is there someone else?"

"Uh-... Not exactly, but that isn't why I don't want you to come out here." Hesitating for a moment to take a deep breath, Shinobu's voice grew timid. "I'm not sure if it would even work."

"That what would even work?"

"I mean, there's a lot to talk about and we have to set some boundaries..."

"What are you talking about?"

"Then there's the issue of that other guy from your job."

"Shinobu!" Raising his voice seemed to be the only way to get the rambling kid's attention. "What are you talking about?"

"Miyagi, I want to come home. Maybe we can try to work things out. Maybe." Shinobu's words echoed in the man's ears for a moment, creating a steady ring while they took time to set in. When they had finally gone through the machine of comprehension, Miyagi was overwhelmed. "Can I come back now?"

"I dunno-... Things here have gotten pretty crazy."

"Miyagi, I miss you."

Miyagi had to turn his face away from Hiroki to smile a little, not wanting to have his co-worker see such an odd expression on his face. He couldn't think of any words that could be more convincing.

"I miss you too."

"Not to ruin this moment or anything," Hiro cleared his throat from beside Miyagi, giving his superior an extra stern look. "but if you want any chance at catching your plane, you need to get going right now."

"I guess I'm not going." Miyagi grinned at Hiroki's scowl and shrugged his shoulders leisurely "He's coming here to Japan."

"So let me get this straight, you dragged me out of bed at _six in the fucking morning_, to the _airport_, all so you could decide that you _weren't_going?" The Devil-Kamijou was making a small appearanced, but the man sitting beside him took no notice. He was talking gently to the boy on the other line.

"I'll see you when you get here Shinobu."

"It's a long flight. Maybe around nine hours." The honey-haired boy was scrambling through his words, an odd ticking sounding in the background. "I'm running out of minutes on the phone. I'll meet you in front of the school around seven, maybe closer to eight."

"I'll be there." Miyagi swore, pressing his face against his phone a little bit more.

"See you soon." Shinobu barely got the words in before his line went dead, leaving the older man listening to nothing but dial-tone. Somehow, even the annoying blare sounded like music, though Miyagi knew it was just his imagination.

* * *

"Did you get a hold of him? Collin jumped on Shinobu the moment he exited the phone-room. The blond was buzzing with curiosity, almost more excited about the call than the gray-eyed boy himself.

"I got a hold of him." Shinobu reported, his head still spinning, body still aching for more of Miyagi's voice. He had eaten up every single one of the older man's words, greedily absorbing them. "I don't have a lot of time. I think if I remember right there's a flight from here back to Japan that leaves at ten."

"Are you sure? That doesn't even give us an hour to pack your things and get there!"

"Collin." Shinobu's voice was firm as he gripped one of the Aussie's hands. "You promised to get me to the airport and I'm counting on you."

"I'll get you there Mate." The blond whispered, gripping Shinobu's hand back and using his free one to run his fingers through the boy's tangled honey-colored locks.

Wasting no more time they raced back to their dorm room, both tripping over each other in a rush to gather all of Shinobu's things. No time was spent folding or sorting clean from dirty clothes. Not a second was wasted on making sure that toiletries were packed up safely for their high-altitude trip. Socks, shoes, books, everything was thrown in anywhere it would fit until finally everything was ready to go.

"I'll ship anything I find of yours that we forgot." Collin swore, helping Shinobu lugging the heavy bags out to the front of the school. "Just wait here. I'll be right back with the car." Taking off into the parking lot, the Aussie raced off to find his cab-car. Meanwhile Shinobu sat down on top of his things, panting from the effort of carrying the large loads. His fever wasn't going to make things easy for him, but he had no other choice.

"Get in the car, I'll get your bags in." The blond called, pulling up in his blindingly yellow car. Shinobu gladly did what was asked of him and collapsed down in the passenger's seat, the air-conditioning washing over him in a much needed blast of cool air. Collin joined him moments later, pushing sweat-soaked strands of long blond hair out of his eyes. "We're going to be cutting it really damn close. Get ready to tuck and roll when we get there."

"I'll be ready." Shinobu promised, jumping a little at the sharp squeal of the tires as Collin accelerated forward. He was most likely speeding, but on that day no patrol cars seemed to be in attendance to catch him. The moment they were on the main freeway, they were mostly in the clear.

Neither one was sure how they had pulled it off, but they had. Getting through baggage check and security, it had been an en devour. As for buying a ticket, that had come easy enough, not many people were headed to Japan at the end of summer. When it was all said and done they had almost ten minutes to spare.

"So... I guess this is goodbye, eh?" Collin had gotten increasingly reserved since they had arrived at the airport and now Shinobu knew why.

"We can still call each other and that kind of thing." It was a lame response, but the gray-eyed boy wasn't good with words, he couldn't seem to get anything meaningful to come out of his mouth.

"Maybe if I ever get a chance, I'll fly out to Japan to visit. See about you and that guy, make sure he's treating you right."

"I'd like that."

Shinobu turned his eyes up to meet the Aussies, noticing for the first time that his vision was a little foggy. He was going to use the man-excuse and blame it on his illness, but deep down he knew he was sad to be leaving Collin. The blond had started out as an annoying roommate and had become someone whom Shinobu would always consider very important. He couldn't really be sure if what he felt for Collin could be called romantic-love, but it was certainly a kind of love.

"Flight A2028737 to Japan is now boarding."

"Be sure to call me when you get settled." Leaning over to place a very delicate kiss on the smaller's forehead, the blond turned toe and began to leave before Shinobu could glance up to his his expression, but he could hear the longing that had been in the Aussie's voice.

"I'll call you!"

Neither one of them had really been able to say 'Goodbye', but somehow, Shinobu liked it better that way.

The plane was mostly empty when Shinobu boarded. He took a seat close to the window in an aisle without anyone else nearby. A long nine hour flight home awaited him, but even nine hours seemed too short to figure out what he was going to say. He knew he probably shouldn't have run away, but Miyagi had made him so angry at the time that it had seemed a good idea.

In some ways it had done good for the boy, even if it had been a stupid decision. He had made new friends, learned to surf and improved his swimming, saw a real working lighthouse, and even attended his first real beach-party. Maybe it was simply a right of passage that he had to go through before he could really be with Miyagi, some sort of 'growing-up' chapter in his life.

Shinobu was not very poetic, so the exact name of whatever it was he had done was never decided.

They were hardly in the air before Shinobu had managed to convince a flight attendant to get him a pillow and blanket. He was beginning to get chills from his fever and the cold air-conditioning on the plane. All wrapped up in his little nest on the plane, he found himself starting to doze. Before he could even stop what was happening he was out, everything swimming in a world of darkness.

* * *

Miyagi wasn't sure how he had done it, but he had. Devil-Kamijou had been vanquished before he had a chance to do any real bodily harm to his superior. Though Miyagi hadn't been able to escape unscaled. Hiro had spent his time driving back to the school by lecturing and threatening his co-worker. One moment it might be a threat to burn all Miyagi's books and the next it might be poisoning the man's coffee.

To be honest, the dark-haired man was pretty impressed by how much thought the other man had put into his murder. His favorite was Hiro's threat to make him perform Seppuku in front of a busy street of people, with a dull kitchen knife instead of the traditional sharp blade. To this suggestion Miyagi had no other choice but to laugh, which only served to make the brunette even angrier.

When it was all said and done, an exhausted Hiroki had abandoned Miyagi with his rental car almost immediately after parking. The older man doubted he had heard the last of Devil-Kamijo's death threats and was eagerly awaiting Monday morning when he would return to school to hand out his final exams, fail and pass students, and most importantly, get to visit with his tyrant of an underling.

For now, however, Miyagi had bigger fish to fry. He would have to kill nine, maybe ten or more hours, before he could meet up with Shinobu. A trip to the bookstore perhaps, maybe a nice lunch at a little cafe somewhere, a trip to an even bigger bookstore-... Miyagi groaned inwardly. The things he would normally have loved to have been doing, sounded boring and long winded.

His only option was to go inside the school and bury himself in work. Be it grading or re-grading papers, writing notices to students who failed his class, even organizing his desk. He knew that the only way to make time pass was to distract himself and let the hours melt away. Briefcase in hand, the determined man headed into the school and down the hallway to his office, a mask of determination proudly worn upon his face.

* * *

From far away Shinobu could hear voices, they were speaking to him but their words didn't sound like any he had ever known. He tried to reach out and push them away, but his hands met only empty space. When he opened his eyes he saw only bright lights, zooming past, never really coming fully into focus.

Somewhere amidst the voices and the lights and the emptiness, he wondered what time it was, wondered if it was time to meet up with Miyagi.

* * *

He was trying hopelessly to convince himself that Shinobu's flight was delayed, that some kind of crazy freak accident involving a wallaby and a plane engine had occurred. He had called Shinobu's cellphone only to find out that it no longer had service, a startling discovery. He could recall not long ago he had placed a call to that phone and it had gone through just fine, now even a voice-mailbox would be a light at the end of the tunnel.

The question of whether or not Shinobu would remember where Miyagi's office had come into the older man's head a few times. It was a stupid fear, but as he told himself again and again 'Kids these days have a knack for forgetting important things like that.'. He was now waiting in front of the university, pacing along the sidewalk. It was almost midnight and still the boy hadn't made any sign of appearing.

_He's stuck in traffic. _(The roads had been mostly clear all day.)

There was an issue with the taxi and so he's taking the train.

(Which was impossible, seeing as the last train had stopped running over an hour earlier.)

_He's run into an old friend and decided to have a cup of tea. _(Miyagi was getting desperate.)

The more he waited, the more his thoughts began to show how worried he was.

_I hope he's alright._

I hope the plane got in okay.

I hope he isn't lost.

I hope he'll be here soon.

Where is he?

The icing on the cake was an icy-cold summer shower. It had sprang up so suddenly that Miyagi hadn't had any time to get to shelter before becoming soaked. His irritation was now beginning to rise to the surface. It was so obvious! Shinobu had played him for a fool, tricked him into believing that they were going to have some kind of reunion that would end with them working out their issues.

It had been a trick, a lie, a deception. Right?

_It's cold. I'm wet. I should just go home. _

_So why don't you? _

_I'm waiting for him... What if he shows and I'm not here?_

_Face it old man, he isn't gonna show._

_But what if? _

_There is no 'what if'. There only is or isn't and he isn't. _

_He isn't._

_He isn't. _

_Isn't_

_Isn't_

_Isn't..._

Miyagi was almost disturbed to find himself having a mental conversation with himself, complete with creepy echo and everything. He needed to hurry home and change into dry clothes before he got sick. With one final glance at the school he cranked up the rental car and pulled out of the parking lot, headed for him.

_He isn't coming._

* * *

"Do you know why he suddenly decided to come back to Japan?"

"No! I don't have a clue. I got a call from someone at the hospital and when I went there sure enough, there he was!"

"What are you going to do with him?"

"Probably just let him sleep the fever off."

"Well if you need anything Babe, you give me a call."

"I will." Risako leaned over to give Tsuku a light kiss, pushing an umbrella into his hands. "Take that and hurry home."

"See you soon!" Charming as always, he took the umbrella and left with a light smile. Risako's current dog had proved to be very useful, but his time was running out. Before long he would be replaced with Miyagi and everything in the woman's life would go back to normal. No longer would she have to listen to her mother tell her how shameful of a daughter she was. No more would she have to see the disappointment etched onto her father's face.

Everything would be perfect, that is, if Shinobu didn't get in the way.

Playing with a strand of her long dark hair she headed up the stairs and to the room where her brother was currently resting. He was found passed out on an airplane, drained by a fever and exhaustion. After a quick examination at the hospital, they had found his ID and used it to call Risako.

Needless to say she was not happy to discover that her brother had returned home, but after some quick planning on her part, she figured she could use him to her advantage. That is, as long as he kept his fever up long enough for her to bait Miyagi with him. She had just begun to dial the man's number when Shinobu's eyes had opened.

* * *

"Hello?" Miyagi had just buried himself beneath a heavy futon and was about to fall asleep when his phone rang. He jerked awake from the loud noise and flipped the phone open.

"Yoh?" He almost groaned aloud, but kept himself in check.

"Yes Risako? What do I owe the pleasure?"

"Don't sound so spiteful!"

"Little hard not to when you call me at such an ungodly hour." Oh how he longed to see the irritated look on her face.

"Don't start that crap with me." Risako certainly sounded irate. "Do you have any idea why I got a call from the hospital today telling me to come pick up my brother?" Miyagi's face instantly fell and he sat up, throwing the futon off himself.

"No, I don't have any idea as to why that happened. Enlighten me." As he listened to Risako, Miyagi pulled on the first clothes he could find, not checking to see if what he was wearing was at all acceptable.

"He flew in from Australia today with a fever of over one-hundred-two. The flight attendant couldn't wake him up upon arrival and so they called the hospital to come pick him up. Tell me Miyagi, why was he on that plane today?"

_You idiot. Why did you come back when you knew you were sick?_

"He wanted to come home. I don't know the full story, but he called me and said he wanted to come home."

"How did he call you? His phone has been turned off."

"Why is his phone off?" Things were beginning to get suspicious and Miyagi wasn't liking the way things were beginning to look. "You cut his phone off, didn't you?"

"So what if I did? You can't prove it." Risako's voice was beginning to take on a hysteric edge, worrying the older man all the more.

"Where is Shinobu right now?"

"He's resting at my place."

"I'm coming over there." Grabbing the keys to his rental car, he rushed out of his apartment as quickly as he could.

"It's rude to invite yourself over Yoh. Maybe I won't open the door~" A new level of anger had risen in Miyagi and he nearly crushed his own phone.

"I don't give a damn what's rude or not rude. Whatever you're doing ends _now_. I'll be over there in about ten minutes."

He gave Risako no room to protest, throwing his phone into the backseat as he climbed into the silver-car. He cranked the engine, turned off the radio, and sped out of the parking-garage like a bat out of hell. Needless to say, Miyagi wasn't feeling very in-control of himself at the moment, his rage pushing him to drive faster than he necessary. When he arrived it was a struggle not to slam on the breaks, but he succeeded in pulling the car to a calm, safe stop.

The calm didn't last however, he was out of the car and storming up to her door, pounding to be let in. The door opened and there was a flash of light, as well as something speeding on the edge of Miyagi's vision. A pain shot through his head and his knees crumpled under him, the world faded from red to inky black.

* * *

***head desk* I'm such a sucker for drama... It never ends~**


	14. We Belong Together

**XmX I'm sorry it's been so long. Between not having internet and the holidays I didn't get a chance to post before now. There will be one more chapter after this one. Kind of like an after-chapter. D: And then my work here will be done. Thank you for your patience! Enjoy!**

* * *

Miyagi could hear voices, but they seemed very far away, like his ears were filled with water. He could neither recognize the owner of the voices or where they were coming from, so he sat in the darkness. There was a sharp pain in his head, tracing from behind his right eye to the back of his neck. Something had dripped down the side of his face and was becoming dried and crusted.

"Where...?" His surroundings took a full minute before coming into focus, that is, after the man had finally gotten up the courage to open his eyes.

"My porch light came loose and fell on your head." Risako entered the room, a wary look on her pale face. Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying. Clutched tightly in her hands was a large bowl of steaming water, a cloth draped over the side. "Let me clean you up some. Alright?"

"Where is Shinobu?" In a rush, the memory of the boy came back to Miyagi. He sat up, apparently laying on Risako's couch, his body swaying dangerously. A firm hand caught him the shoulder, laying him back down.

"Lay still." This voice belonged to Miyagi's boss, as well as Risako and Shinobu's father. Alarmed, the dark-haired man turned to look up at his superior, his heart beginning to race.

_Why is he here? _A million horrible images began to fly through Miyagi's head. Him losing his job. Him being arrested. Or worst of all, though perhaps borderline dramatic, Shinobu and him being forced to break-up.

"I'll get you some water." The gray-haired man left the room, somewhat to Miyagi's relief, except now he was with Risako.

"You don't have to give me such a cold look." She knelt in front of him, one of her small hands dipping the cloth into the bowl of hot water. She rang out the excess and began to dab at the crust, presumably blood, on Miyagi's face. "I didn't invite him over here. He found out about Shinobu and showed up."

"Makes me wonder what would have happened if he hadn't of shown up." The professor was in a fowl mood, half because of the pain in his head and half because he still hadn't been able to see Shinobu. "How is he doing? Shinobu."

"His fever's gone down. He just needs to sleep it off."

"Thank you for going to get him."

"Why wouldn't I? He is my brother." Though she had spoken in a soft tone, there was a bitterness to Risako's words that hadn't been there before.

"Is there any chance that we'll be able to talk alone?" The dark-haired man asked, lowering his voice instinctively, his boss' footsteps approaching.

"I'll see to it that we get some privacy." Risako's voice had lost it's bitterness and was now high and light, feigning politeness. Miyagi couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed. He hated having to play along with Risako, especially when he was so angry at her, but he didn't want to make a big show in front of the head of his department.

_Just a little longer._ He reminded himself, shutting his eyes tight to fight off a wave of nausea. "How did your porch light just happen to smash on my head?"

"It's been loose for some time now, it was only a matter of time before it fell. You were banging on the door so roughly you shook it off the wall."

"I guess I'm having a streak of bad luck."

"I guess you are." Risako sighed heavily, as if she was bored with their conversation. The sound of water rang in Miyagi's ears as she rinsed out the cloth she was using before going at his head once more with it. "It doesn't look like any glass lodged itself in your skin. You probably don't need stitches either, it's just a small cut."

"Not so unlucky after all, right?" Trying to lighten to mood a little, the dean spoke in a cheerful tone, patting one of Miyagi's arms.

Maybe it was his imagination, but Miyagi could swear that his boss' hands were tense.

"I'm going to dump out this water." The literature professor opened his eyes in time to see Risako retreating to the kitchen, her heels clicking on the hard-wood floors. She returned only moments later, shaking some loose water from her hands. "Can I have a word with Yoh?"

"Yes! I'll go check on Shinobu." Sounding almost giddy, the dean disappeared up a flight of stairs, never glancing back.

_Alright, now I know something's going on. He couldn't wait to get out of here._ Miyagi was instantly on guard, unsure of what exactly Risako planned on talking to him about. He waited a moment or two before realizing that she was expecting him to begin. _Fine, if she wants it that way-... _

"Tell me what's going on. I want to know everything, starting with why you turned off Shinobu's phone service. That wasn't yours to play around with." Miyagi grit his teeth, his anger exasperating the pain in his head. "Don't give me some bullshit story either."

"Alright, so I admit, I cut his cellphone service off. My plan wouldn't have worked though if he had been able to just call you up." Risako cast her eyes towards the floor. She spoke like a child who had just gotten something taken away. "He would have found out that it wasn't you who drove your car into the lake."

"Speaking of which, what was the motive behind that?"

"I'm getting to that." Looking annoyed at being interrupted, Risako gave Miyagi a scornful look before beginning to talk again. "I needed that car wreck to get into the paper, but I knew you wouldn't do it yourself. So me and my boyfriend took your car and took it for a little swim."

"Why did it need to be in the paper? Shinobu wouldn't have seen it anyways. Also, remind me to thank you later. I had a lot of old books in there when it went down."

"You're welcome." Brushing back some of her dark hair, Risako crossed her arms over her chest. "Shinobu wasn't here to see the article, so I took it to him. Couple that with the fact that you two hadn't spoken since he left, he jumped to the wrong conclusion, like I knew he would."

"Why?" Miyagi demanded, pushing himself into a sitting position, and ultimately up off the couch. He took a step towards Risako, seizing one of her wrists in his hand. "He's your little brother! Not to mention the fact that he's done nothing to warrant all this!"

"Why...? Why? I'll tell you why! Day in and day out it's the same thing. 'Be more like your little brother.', 'Shinobu's such a good child.', 'You're so shameful Risako, why can't you be more like Shinobu?'. All I have to do is tell my parents what kind of relationship he's in with you and it'll all be over. I won't have to hear it anymore."

"But why go to all this trouble? Sleeping with me, stealing my car, cutting off my contact with Shinobu-... I guess maybe I deserved it, but he didn't. So what, you're jealous? Get over it, you're the adult here."

"Because I needed something to hang over your head." Voice ice cold, Risako wrenched her arm free of Miyagi's grip. "If you agree to get back together with me, I'll tell Shinobu the truth and I'll keep your relationship with him a secret."

"Look, I'm not anything special, why do you want me so damn bad?" The dark-haired man took a step back, giving her a long look. "I'm not worth all the effort, trust me."

"When I was with you, my parents were proud of me. Everything was perfect, but you wouldn't accept me. You wouldn't stop looking towards the past, searching for your teacher."

"They're not ashamed of you for divorcing me! They're upset because you sleep around. They want you to find someone and settle down. Bringing home a different guy every week doesn't exactly give you a good reputation."

"None of them are you. I need you for things to work right." A tired expression came over Risako and she leaned back against the nearest wall. Miyagi noticed for the first time how worn she looked, her hair unkempt, her clothes wrinkled, her make-up faded. "I need you Yoh."

"No, you don't." Miyagi spoke slowly, taking a few cautious steps towards her. When she didn't move he went over to her and pulled her into a hug. "I meant what I said the other day. You're better than this, so stop doing all this other stuff and focus on a goal or something. Something you can do that'll make your parents proud of you."

_I have no clue what that might be, but as long as it doesn't involve my car-... _

The brunette woman said nothing, but her arms slipped around to Miyagi's back, her fingers gripping at his shirt. Her head found it's way to one of his shoulders and remained there. Relived to see that she had finally come to her senses, he relaxed, waiting for her to get all her emotions out so they could move on.

It was then that Miyagi's eyes caught site of something glistening in the other room.

At first it looked like any old lamp, simply set out on the dining room table, however, something ominous told Miyagi to take a closer look. He pulled away from Risako's grip and walked into the opposite room, his pulse quickening. His head injury was playing tricks on him, because there was no way that there was blood on the base of the light.

"Risako... You don't have a porch lamp, do you?" Miyagi had thought it strange when she had mentioned the lamp falling on him, but he hadn't considered the fact that she didn't actually have a porch lamp, let alone one that could have fallen on him.

"Now Yoh, there's no need to get upset." She had come up behind him and her breath was now hot against the back of his neck. "It was an accident, you scared me, pounding on the door like that."

"Risako, you need to get some kind of help."

"Babe, you're all the help I need."

"I'm serious." Miyagi's mouth was suddenly dry and he couldn't will himself to move, though he knew he had to get away from her. "You've lost it."

"He found someone in Australia you know." Ignoring Miyagi's comment, Risako circled around him, her skinny fingers tracing affectionately over the silver shaft of the lamp. "A blond boy, named Colin. They're involved."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean just what I said. He went off to Australia and replaced you. Why else do you think he never called? He was too busy chasing those pretty beach-boys."

"He wouldn't do that." His voice sounded all wrong, weak almost. Shinobu wouldn't replace him, that was impossible. "He was either sulking or swamped with school-work."

"They slept together you know." Smiling to herself, Risako picked up the lamp in one hand and stepped towards Miyagi. "The Australian boy's ex-girlfriend told me all about it."

For a moment, Miyagi couldn't think about anything other than Risako's words. Surely she was wrong, Shinobu wouldn't just run off and replace him. Would he? The doubt lingered for a moment longer before he decided that her words were fallacy. Like being submerged in cold water, Miyagi's senses awoke.

"It doesn't matter what happened in Australia. At the time he and I weren't together, so if he found someone else during that time, it's tough luck for me." Nodding for effect, Miyagi was confident with his response, especially after seeing the look on Risako's face. She looked almost bewildered.

"You're okay with that...?"

"Yes and no." He paused for a moment, trying to think of how to phrase it. "I guess, if he was happy, then it would be alright. With Shinobu, that's really all I care about, I want him to be happy in life, with or without me."

"He cheated on you though!" As if Miyagi's words were incomprehensible, the dark-haired woman shook her head, eyes bulging a little. She stood for a long time, looking as if she had lost all sense and reasoning. Throwing caution to the wind, Miyagi took a step towards her.

"Risako, listen to me, alright? This is the lifestyle I choose. The person I choose. I'm sorry if you thought something else, but I won't get back together with you." Speaking in a calm, clear tone, he reached his hands carefully for the broken lamp in her hands. Her eyes flew to meet his gaze and she pulled the lamp back, swinging it through the air.

Miyagi didn't have time to dodge, so he threw his arms up to protect his face, bracing himself for the impact. Out of the corner of his eyes he caught something blur on the edge of his vision and when he turned to look he realized that the blur was Risako's current boyfriend.

"Risako, that's enough!" Looking as surprised as Miyagi felt, Tsuku was holding Risako back, one of his hands working to pry the lamp from her hands. "This has gone way to far! You have to let go of whatever issues you have with this man."

"Get off me." Risako hissed, giving Tsuku a vicious look. He didn't relent and finally pulled the light from her hands. He handed it over to Miyagi for safe keeping and pulled the struggling woman against his chest.

"What's going on...?" A fourth person had just entered the room and was looking at the scene with an incredulous expression. Miyagi's boss stepped towards his daughter, who was now trying less frantically to escape.

"It's Miyagi. He's having an inappropriate relationship with Shinobu." More bi-polar than ever, Risako was determined to keep up some kind of farce. "I thought maybe I could handle things on my own, but he tried to attack me."

"Not to be disrespectful, but you can't honestly believe the bullshit coming out of her mouth, can you?" Miyagi looked at Shinobu's father sternly, to which he got a blank expression in reply. "Ah-... Look, I can explain if you give me a chance."

"I'll explain." It was Tsuku talking this time, his eyes lit up with a fiery determination.

* * *

Somehow, they had all ended up seated in the living room again. Risako had spent all the energy she had on trying to bash Miyagi's head in with the lamp, so she was mostly sitting as an empty shell next to Tsuku. He was gripping her shoulders, just in case she got erratic again.

"I don't know the full story, but I know my part in it." He began, clearing his throat. "Risako and I met about a year ago at a bar. She had told me she was waiting for a friend, but he never showed up, so I offered to give her a ride home. Somehow or another she ended up at my house and spent the night on my couch."

"After that night, I guess it was just natural that we started to hang out. She would come see me and I would go see her. Eventually we decided to start dating and things were fine for a while. About two months into the relationship I noticed that she was sneaking off and making excuses. Naturally one of my first concerns was that she might have been cheating on me."

"To make a long story short, she was." Tsuku grimaced a little and Miyagi nodded solemnly, only able to imagine what the man across from him has gone through. "She and I broke up and I didn't see her for a long time. A month ago I ran into her at the library and offered to by her lunch so we could catch up."  
"She told me about everything that had happened since our break-up. The guys, the fights with her mother, all of it. I guess I wanted so badly to help her out, to make her happy again, that I agreed to give her another chance."

"I think you went a little far." Miyagi couldn't help but grumble, still sour about his car being sunk in a lake. Tsuku looked at him apologetically and nodded.

"I'll pay for the damages if you would like. Get a bill from the repair shop and I'll give you a number so you can fax it to me." Though it was a sincere offer, Miyagi doubted even that would completely make him want to forgive the two of them.

"Go on. Finish your story."

"Risako and her mother had a really bad argument and she got really strange after that. Started talking about her ex-husband. I never would have thought she would have done all this. I helped her sink your car in the lake, but I was under the impression at the time that it was for revenge."

Miyagi narrowed his eyes at this bit of information and Tsuku scrambled to continue, looking suddenly nervous.

"N-Not that, that justifies anything."

"I don't understand." Finally Risako's father spoke, looking at his daughter sternly. "Why would you do all this? Risako...?"

"I thought if I got back together with Miyagi then you and Mother wouldn't be so ashamed of me." Dabbing at her eyes some, Shinobu's sister scrubbed the tears off her face. "I guess I kind of got obsessed with the idea that I did some things that-..." She couldn't finish, her voice cracked and trailed off.

"Listen up and listen good. I'm going to only say it one more time. I'm not getting back together with you. I have someone I care about." Miyagi reached a hand out and set it on Risako's head, mussing up her hair. "You need to get some help."

"I don't know what to say," Looking about as worn down as Risako, the dean gave Miyagi a long look. "Risako's done so much damage to you. I'm so sorry about all of this."

"I'm not planning to press charges as long as you check her into a medical center where she can get the help she needs," As if reading Tsuku's mind, Miyagi went on to say, "and as long as you pay the repair bill I won't press charges against you either."

"Thank you." The younger man said earnestly, dipping his head.

"Now if we're all done here, I would like to go upstairs and check on Shinobu." Casting his eyes around the room, he saw no sign of protest. With a long sigh, Miyagi rose from the couch and finally was able to make his way up the stairs and to the guest room.

He paused outside the door, his whole body wracked with nerves. The last time he had seen Shinobu had been nearly three months earlier and they hadn't been on the best of terms. Despite knowing that the boy had rushed home to see him, Miyagi couldn't help but worry about some form of rejection.

Shaking his worried from his head, he turned the door handle and walked into the dark room.

* * *

Shinobu felt as if he had been sleeping for a long time, though he had no way of knowing how long. He wondered when the plane was going to land and hoped that it would be soon, he was dying to go meet up with Miyagi. However, the warm hand combing through his hair was making him feel drowsier and drowsier, making it that much harder to open his sleep filled eyes.

"G'off. Stop it." He swatted at the hand on his head, but it didn't stop. Opening his eyes so that he could better defend himself, Shinobu was bewildered to find that he wasn't on the plane, but resting in a bed. The room was dark, giving him no details with which to determine his location. He threw back his covers and sat up, a sharp pain jabbing the back of his eyes. "Where-...?"

"You need to lay back down,"

_This voice. _

Though it was dark in the room, there was enough light from the crack in the door for Shinobu to make out the face of Miyagi. The older man was sitting on the edge of the bed, his expression unreadable. The boy's heart skipped and for a moment all he could do was gape and try to think of what to say in reply.

"Where am I?" It was all Shinobu could come up with and not what he had planned to say when he met back up with Miyagi. Then again, the whole situation was not what he had planned.

"You passed out and so your sister went to pick you up." Speaking almost in a tense tone, the professor stood up and began to feel around for the light switch. "Watch your eyes."

Blinded for a second, Shinobu's headache began to ache all the more, causing him to growl in frustration. The warm hand from earlier once more returned to combing through his hair. When his eyes had adjusted, Shinobu looked up at Miyagi, gasping in surprise.

The dark-haired man looked like he had been in some kind of a fight, sporting a large wound across the right side of his forehead, blood still caked in his hair and on some of his skin, which was beginning to bruise. His shirt was stained red as well, along with the tie that hung loosely from Miyagi's neck.

"What happened to you?" Shyly, the honey-haired boy reached out a hand and ran his fingers over the uninjured side of the man's face.

"It's a really long story that I'm really in no mood to tell." At Shinobu's touch a worn and exhausted look came across Miyagi's face and he leaned over so that he could rest his head against the smaller's chest. "Welcome home Shinobu."

Though he had promised himself he wouldn't cry, Shinobu's eyes began to fog with tears. His arms wrapped carefully around Miyagi's neck and locked into place there. He tilted his head back and closed his gray colored eyes, his breathing becoming a little unsteady.

_Welcome home Shinobu._

"I'm glad to be back." He managed in reply, fumbling around for something with which to wipe his nose on. As if he had predicted Shinobu's reaction, Miyagi's had appeared with a small packet of pocket tissues. He took the tissues with a small laugh and pulled a few out, using them to stop the waterfall that was his nose.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too." Shinobu jumped a little, feeling warm arms creep around his waist, fingers brushing his back in a way that was almost embarrassing. "W-Wait a second Miyagi-..."

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Miyagi said, in a tone that was almost chiding. "You need to get rest, besides, I wouldn't do anything like that in your sister's home. Oh, I might want to mention, your father is downstairs also."

"He is...?"

"Him and Risako and Risako's dog-... Erm... I mean boyfriend thing."

"Can we go to your house?" Shinobu held his breath, waiting for Miyagi's reply. "I mean... Can we go home?" Miyagi pulled back from his chest and gave the boy a lop-sided smile.

"Yeah, we can go home." Miyagi helped Shinobu to his feet and the two of them had just started to make their way downstairs when suddenly the dean walked in. His lips were drawn into a thin line and his eyes went from the arm around Shinobu's waist to Miyagi's face and back again.

"Is what Risako said true?" Voice icy cold, Miyagi's boss took a step towards them. "What is your relationship with my son exactly...?"

* * *

Miyagi felt his stomach drop. How would he explain everything to the man standing before him? Surely he couldn't lie, not this late in the game and no without potentially offending Shinobu. His cover had been blown and there was no escape.

"We are dating," It didn't sound as sophisticated as Miyagi wanted, but it was the least offensive thing he could think to say. "I understand what this must be like for you. I was pretty shocked myself when things started out. I thought he was just trying to mess with me, talking about all this destiny stuff-..."

"Maybe I should start at the beginning." He felt like a fish out of water, suffocating and unable to think straight. "Shinobu came to me some time ago and confessed that he liked me, claiming that we were destined to be together. At first I dismissed him, but eventually it turned into this."

"'This'...?" The dean didn't look any more amused than he had before Miyagi's watered down explanation.

"Well yes, I did say we were dating."

"You're aware of the position you're in, correct?"

"I am." Miyagi's heart sank. Who was he kidding? To think that Shinobu's father might actually accept them, or at least spare sacking him from his job. "As I didn't press charges on Risako, can I ask just one favor?"

"Depends on the favor." Giving Shinobu a sharp look, Miyagi's boss tapped his foot impatiently.

"If I'm going to lose my job anyways, will you at least let me resign quietly?"

"Fine, bring your resignation to my office on Monday and have your office cleared out by the end of it." Grinding his teeth a little, the dean turned his back to the both of them. "We'll have a long talk at that time about my son. As for you Shinobu-..."

A long piercing silence followed and both Shinobu and Miyagi waited for the dean to finish his sentence, but instead he just shook his head.

"Please listen." Speaking as calmly as he could, Shinobu pushed Miyagi's arms away and stood on his own. "I'm old enough to choose what I want to do in life. Old enough to choose who I want to have in my life and who I don't want in my life. Miyagi's my-..."

"I don't want to hear it Shinobu." Raising his voice, the dean slammed his fist into the nearest wall, causing the boy to jump. Shinobu quickly recovered and sharply grabbed onto one of Miyagi's arms, holding it up as if it were on some kind of display.

A small wave of deja vu came over the older man. He couldn't help but remember that not long ago he had done the same thing when visiting his teacher's grave for the last time.

"Look at me!" Bratty as ever, Shinobu jabbed his father in the back until the older man finally turned to scowl at him and at their arms. "I-... I love this guy. He's really important to me. He's old and grumpy and he smokes too much-..."

_Old huh... _Miyagi couldn't help but hang his head at the thought, tuning back into what Shinobu was saying.

"-and he likes weird books, but I love him." Taking a deep breath to keep his voice steady, the honey-haired boy raised his eyes to meet his father's. "Don't fire him, he's good at what he does. Don't fire him on my account."

Now the dean looked slightly taken-aback, though he didn't comment. Shinobu's head had ducked in the same fashion as Miyagi's. Out of the corner of his eye, the dark-haired man cold see that the kid was crying again, only in a more reserved way.

"I'll see you on Monday." It was the last thing Miyagi's boss uttered before leaving the room. Neither of the two left standing had thought to look up at his face, but his grim voice was enough to tell them that Shinobu's plea had probably failed.

"I'm sorry." Shinobu murmured, making use of the pocket tissues once more. His face was flushed, eyes puffy and red, heat from his fever was coming off him in waves and his hair was tangled and wet from sweating, but somehow, Miyagi thought that Shinobu couldn't have possibly looked any cuter.

"I love you. Thank you for trying." Cupping the boy's face between his hands he brought their faces together and kissed Shinobu for the first time in what had seemed like forever. The kissing grew a little more frantic and it was about that time Miyagi had to remove himself from the smaller's clinging. "W-Wait till we get home at least! You shouldn't even be up, you have to rest when we get home."

"I love you too Miyagi." Sporting an impish grin, Shinobu was showing no signs of obeying. He cheekily walked out of the guest room ahead of Miyagi and started downstairs. The older man shook his head, grumbling under his breath about 'today's youth', before following after him.

* * *

They arrived back at Miyagi's apartment, neither one having said anything on the ride home. They had, however, held hands. Something neither of them had been able to to for a long time. Just something as simple as that was enough to sustain them until they were safely tucked inside.

"You really never change this place, do you?" Shinobu scanned his eyes around the room, the apartment looked the same way it had when he had left.

"Yeah, well... I think I'm ready for some change." Miyagi too was looking at his apartment, a blank expression on his face. "Why don't we have some tea?" The smaller nodded in agreement, though he didn't really want any. While Miyagi worked in the kitchen he seated himself on the couch, his head throbbing lightly.

"What happened while I was away?"

"Ah, that," The older man spoke as if Shinobu had brought about a specific incident, when really he had just been asking in a general sense. This caused a wave of curiosity to arise, which turned to worry at what Miyagi said next, "We really need to sit down and have a heart to heart about a few things."

"What kind of things?" Immediately his mind went into panic mode. He would have to tell Miyagi everything that had happened with Colin in Australia. He would have to tell him about the kissing and the touching and the sex-...

"I heard from Risako that you met someone while you were away."

"What all did she tell you? Whatever she said was probably only half true, you know how she likes to distort things. Or at least lately she's been doing that..."

"Just calm down. I'm not trying to pry, I just can't help but wonder if maybe you wouldn't like to be back there with him." Miyagi spoke quietly, almost as if he wasn't speaking to Shinobu at all. As he set two tea cups out on his coffee table, the gray-eyed boy noticed his hands were slightly shaky. "Not that I'm not happy that you came back, but I don't want you to feel obligated to an old man."

Shinobu wanted to yell at the dark-haired man, actually, hit him. Surely he could tell he was saying things that couldn't in a million years be true. His voice had abandoned him and suddenly his mouth felt desert dry. He took one of the cups from the table and downed the hot liquid, scalding his tongue.

"Careful!" Miyagi rushed to the kitchen and grabbed a dishrag, using it to clean up the tea that Shinobu had just spat out all over himself and the couch. "Let it cool down some! Honestly-..."

"You're so friggen stupid!" Still trying to let his taste-bugs recover some, Shinobu snatched the cloth and dabbed at the wet spot on his shirt and pants. "Did you hear what I told my dad? Or are you getting so old you can't hear right?"

"OI! Enough with the age thing! I get it, I'm an idiot and I'm old."

"That isn't what I'm saying!" Taken-aback by the lack of confidence the older man was exhibiting, Shinobu pushed himself off the couch and took Miyagi's hands in his. "I want to be here with you, s'why I got on the first flight I could and hightailed it. Why are you freaking out?"

"Sorry." Averting his eyes, Miyagi sat down heavily on his couch, leaving his hands in Shinobu's. "You left so suddenly that I didn't really understand what had happened. I mean, I know I hadn't exactly been around much. I wasn't paying you enough attention, but did that warrant all this?"

"You cheated on me. Remember?"

"I kissed Kamijou, I admit to that, but I wasn't right in the head that night."

"He was sending you love letters! Something else must have been going on besides just a kiss!" Trying his best to keep calm, the boy shut his eyes and gripped at the warm hands that he was holding. "I read one of the letters. It was in a blue envelope, but I threw it away."

"Wait... Blue envelope?" Miyagi shut his eyes and thought for a long time, trying to recall where in his memory he had seen a blue envelope. "THAT BLUE ENVELOPE?" Startled, Shinobu shrank back some, his eyes flying open.

"You saw it then?"

"That wasn't for me!" Laughing, almost hysterically, Miyagi pulled his hands back so he could run them back through his hair. "How do I explain this...? Kamijou's seeing some guy he met way back when. That letter was some weird thing he was going to give to that guy. Nowaki, that was his name."

"Oh." Shinobu felt like his body was trying to collapse inside himself. "Then I think I might have made a mistake. I assumed it was for you, so when you told me that you kissed him, I thought you had been cheating on me. I mean, you and him had been going out for drinks a lot at the time."

Blushing from ear to ear, the younger male laid himself back on the couch. He covered his face with his arms, unable to look at Miyagi directly. He could hardly stand all the trouble he had caused, couldn't fully accept that he had made such a big mistake. It seemed more like a dream that something that could have actually happened.

"Shinobu, listen closely. For the last time, there's nothing going on with Hiroki and I. He and I like to play around, well I like to play around, but we both have people we want to be with and that isn't each other." Carefully peeling back Shinobu's arms, the taller man leaned down and pressed his lips to the smaller's. "For me, it's you. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Now. There's something else I need to tell you." Sitting back up, Miyagi cleared his throat a little. He took a couple moments to prepare himself before gently murmuring the words. "While you were away, Risako and I slept together. I know we weren't together at the time, but I didn't want it to be some big secret."

"Oh." The thought didn't appeal to Shinobu at all, but he forced himself to accept that it was while they were broken-up. He also had to reason that he had done the same thing. "I have to tell you something too. Colin, that's the guy I was dating in Australia, at least I think we were dating-... Anyways, he and I also... Uh... S-Slept together."

Miyagi made a face, clearly feeling about the same way. He didn't want to think of anyone else touching Shinobu, but he had to be a mature adult and accept things as they were.

"When you're well again, let's go and look at apartments." It was an odd way for the older man to react, but it certainly caught Shinobu's attention. "I'm tired of living here. I want to go pick out a place for just the two of us. If your dad keeps his promise, I should be able to get work at a different university."

"A place for just the two of us?" Shinobu echoed Miyagi's words, his heart doing some kind of fancy dance inside his chest. "Like, another apartment like this? Two rooms?"

"I was thinking more like one room and maybe a spare office or something-..."

Blinking in amazement at the man before him, Shinobu rose from the couch and crept over to Miyagi, slipping his arms around the man's neck. He placed his legs on either side of the older's body and gently brought the dark-haired head to his chest so that Miyagi could rest there.

"You've really grown up a lot." Miyagi sighed, almost wistfully. Shinobu was certainly getting taller, losing his boyish looks, becoming more defined as a man. His bratty personality wasn't going to go down without a fight, but it was becoming more mellow as well. "Makes me feel ever older."

"I don't care. It just means that I can start taking care of you. It would make me really happy if I could be the kind of man who could do that for you." Running his fingers through Miyagi's hair, Shinobu pulled back enough to place a very light, shy kiss on the professor's forehead. "I'll stay with you, even if your hair turns all gray."

"Even if I go bald?"

"...We could always buy a wig-..."

"OI!" Neither one could resist the temptation to laugh, something neither one had been able to freely do for a long time. "I love you Shinobu."

"Not as much as I love you." It was hardly more than a whisper, because the younger man was reaching his limit on embarrassment. His ears were glowing red and his hands had already started to wring one another. "Miyagi, I want to do it."

"Right now?"

"Right now." Shinobu began to slip his shirt over his head, only to be stopped by a very flustered Literature Professor. (Technically Ex-Professor.) "I'm already hard."

"I-I can see that, but what about your fever?" Miyagi slipped his hand up under Shinobu's bangs, not wanting to detriment the boy's health, even if it meant waiting on consummating their love.

"That isn't why my body is hot." Looking a little annoyed, the honey-haired boy stood up and continued his discard of his clothes. "I'll be in the bedroom."

"Why all the sudden? Does house-hunting turn you on _that _much?"

"When it's with Miyagi, it turns me on." Giving the older man a shy look, Shinobu snuck into the bedroom, leaving the door open just enough to tease.

"Stupid kid." Seeing that it was senseless to try to talk any sense into the boy, as well as to himself, Miyagi rose from the couch and trailed after Shinobu. "Don't blame me when you wake up tomorrow feeling worse."

* * *

Despite all the time that had passed there was no trace of distance between the two. It didn't matter how badly they had hurt each other, all of it melted away from the heat between them. They belonged together and it had never been more apparent. Their bodies had clearly remembered what their minds had forgotten.

Shinobu had known all along that there was never anyone for him besides Miyagi. His mind couldn't comprehend how he could have ever strayed away from that one simple fact. How he could have possibly thought that another person could fill the older man's place in his heart, his soul?

Miyagi had also figured out that there was no way he could live without Shinobu. He could ignore his feelings for the younger man as much as he wanted, but they could never be snuffed out completely. The boy in his arms was truly a terrorist, invading his personal space and tearing down his walls.

_We belong to one another.  
_

* * *

**Sorry for any errors! I didn't have a lot of time to proof. If you see anything funny please let me know! OwO  
**


	15. Dictator Shinobu

**This is something of an extra to my story! It clears up a little bit of what went on after Shinobu and Miyagi got back together and of course Miyagi's talk with the Dean about his job and he and Shinobu's relationship. Some might disagree with the direction I made Shinobu's father go in, but you have to keep in mind that one of his children (Risako respectively.) has already suffered a mental break and her actions have brought to light a lot of his failures as a parent. (Or at least what I see to be failures.) I think maybe Shinobu's father isn't such a bad guy after all, but then again, who knows? XD**

**Please enjoy! There's actually a lemon that goes with this as well, which you will find in my gallery. I didn't put it here because I wanted this story to remain rated T. Thank you for reading and enjoy!**

* * *

Hiroki was in a state of shock when he walked into the office he shared with the rambunctious Miyagi. The place was torn apart, as it normally was, with the exception of the ever growing mountain of boxes by the door. The older professor was sitting in the middle of the mess, an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips. His eyes were glassy and he didn't even look up when the brunette walked in.

"Um... Professor, what's going on?" Keeping his voice light as he approached, the normally Devil Kamijou was almost timid, stepping over books and paper. "You're not trying to clean the office again are you? You always make it worse when you clean."

"Sit down Kamijou." The odd flat tone that Miyagi was using, scared Hiro all the more and he sat down at his desk, spinning his chair to face his superior. "I apologize for this, but after today I'm being forced to resign."

"What...? Why?" Kamijou's face instantly went slack for a moment, then bewildered. "You can't be serious."

"Shinobu returned and I had a not-so-pleasant get together with Risako and the Dean." With this, Miyagi launched into his tale, telling Hiroki all that had happened. The younger man stayed quiet the whole time, the only sign that he was listening was the subtle change of expression and the nodding of his head. "-and that was about the time I had to step in. Shinobu had already confessed and I really saw no way to deny it."

"In exchange for me not pressing charges on Risako, I asked if he would allow me to resign, so I am." Standing from where he was sitting on the floor, Miyagi held out a hand to Hiro, a somber look on his face. "I wish I could have been more help to you Kamijou-Kun."

"Ah, yes, well." The brunette awkwardly took his superior's, no, his friend's hand. He helped his fellow professor up and stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to say. Miyagi was about to lose the job he had worked so hard on for a long time. Hiroki couldn't imagine having such a thing happen. "Things are going to be very quiet around here without you."

"Don't let my replacement put the moves on you. You'll always be my honey~"

"Professor!" Huffing in embarrassment the smaller yanked his hand away, smoothing his shirt as a nervous habit. "I hope he's not as incompetent as you."

"Me too."

Both men looked at each other, clearly wanting to find better words to say to one another, but not really able to go through with it. With a weak smile Miyagi pulled Hiro into what could only be described as a passionate hug between two very dear friends, though neither one would admit it. It might have been the older man's imagination, but he could have sworn he felt the Devil hug him back.

* * *

Miyagi had never known a stack of papers to feel so heavy. His resignation was printed up in soulless black ink and it stared up at him. The periods and dots atop the i's like a sea of little human faces staring up into his. For someone who loved literature so much, he could think of nothing more distasteful at the moment than words on paper.

It would be the last time he walked down the familiar halls. The scent of chalk, the squeak of his shoes on the polished floor, the chime of the bell. He would miss it all. He knew there would be work waiting for him at another university, but it would never quite be the same. He had many memories at Mitsuhashi University, some good, some bad, but all important. He knew that his Sensei would have been happy to see him working at such a place.

His mind seemed to dwell on this the whole walk to the Dean's office, making the trek seem miles longer than it actually was. As he stood outside the door his whole body felt weak and he was sure he was going to be sick.

With a new apartment and a brat to take care of, he had to find another job fast, they couldn't rely on the part time job that Shinobu had scored. Nor did Miyagi want to put such pressures on the younger man. He was the adult, older adult, and he was going to make sure they made it.

_We'll be okay. _He assured himself, thinking fondly back on their recent apartment hunt. They had spent all day Saturday looking at dozens of places, the honey-haired boy's expression growing more upset as the day went on. It wasn't until almost seven places in that Shinobu had finally found what he wanted.

Close to his (hopefully) permanent university, It had beautiful new hardwood floors, and a large enough kitchen for all of Shinobu's cabbage experiments. The living room was modest, but neither of them would be spending much time in it anyways. The master bedroom was roomy and sunny in the daytime, with a nice view of the city at night. To complete the package the room had big glass doors leading out to a spacious patio, perfect for all of Miyagi's smoking.

It was a smaller place than Miyagi's prior one, though the two rooms were bigger and as the Terrorist repeatedly pointed out, one was to be an office and nothing more. The chain-smoking professor thought he would soon to be glad of this office, after seeing how much he would be taking home with him from the university.

Shinobu had taken only a short look around before walking back to the older man with misty eyes, declaring in a soft sweet voice that the apartment, 'Feels like home. Feels like being with Miyagi.'. Naturally the professor was awed and delighted by this statement. They signed the papers that day and were now due to meet there to unpack as soon as Miyagi was done resigning.

Which brought him back to the future, where he now stood outside his ex-boss's office. With a soft sigh, seeing he could put it off no longer, he knocked on the door and waited to be called inside. There was a soft shuffle before an unexpected voice called out for Miyagi to enter. He practically ripped the door off it's hinges when opening it.

"What are you doing here?" The man's dark eyes stared suspiciously at Risako, who was seated in front of her father's desk. She looked better, calmer than she had in weeks, but there was still that obvious worn feeling about her. Shinobu had heard from his mother that she was staying at some kind of facility, specially tailored to suit whatever needs she might have.

"Calm down. It's not like that." Risako gave Miyagi a gentle smile before rising from her chair. She started for the door, but in passing whispered, "Good luck. Do your best."

_Do my best...? My best with what? _The dark-haired man stared after Risako in confusion, unsure what to make of her words. He watched as the Dean's wife hurriedly collected her daughter, a blank look on her pallid face as she stared in at Miyagi. Her expression became more fiery as she glanced past him to her husband, with whom she nodded at with a particular stiffness. The exchange ended as quickly as it had begun and the two women retreated.

After shutting the door and clearing his throat, Miyagi turned to face his boss, now ex-boss. The two didn't speak at first, simply looked at each other. Shinobu's father looked thoughtful and that only added to the professor's anxiety. He wasn't sure what the older male was plotting, but whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good.

"Take a seat please." The gray-haired man nodded to the chair in front of his desk. Stiffly Miyagi sat down and placed his resignation in his lap. Again, neither spoke, so seeing that someone had to take the floor and begin, the younger of the two obliged.

"I'd like to thank you for all you've done for me. I didn't expect things to end this way, obviously, but here is my resignation." Looking the Dean straight in the face, Miyagi handed over the stack of papers, heart beating itself out inside his chest. The gray-haired man's eyes fell on the papers and he took them, his hands instantly dumping them into the trash. "Sir-...!"

"Let me ask you something." The Senior Takatsuki laced his fingers together and set his hands down on his desk. "What did my son mean exactly by what he said the other night? I'm sure the implications are obvious, but I still don't understand fully what's going on."

"Ah-... Well. That's a bit complicated."

"I have all day Miyagi. I suspect that you should as well." The elder narrowed his eyes a bit until finally his employee nodded in submission. The younger man turned his head to glance at the clock on the wall, mentally kicking himself for promising Shinobu he would be back early. He wondered silently how long the torture would last.

"I guess it all began a while ago, a short time before he came to stay with me for the first time." Miyagi turned his head back around as he began his tale, trying to keep his eyes level with that of the other man. "He came to me and said that he and I were fated to be together. Naturally I dismissed him, who wouldn't do that in my position?"

"Shinobu doesn't seem to take no for an answer, even now, so he kept pestering me. No matter how many times I told him off, he wouldn't stop," Hesitating to gauge the other's reaction, Miyagi was relieved to see that the Dean at least looked neutral. "That's a lie actually, he did eventually stop."

"So why didn't you drop it? I mean, you clearly knew better." Going from neutral to defensive in a blink, Shinobu's father rose from his seat and began to pace slowly behind his desk. "You say that he came to you, but how do I know that you didn't simply corrupt him?"

"I know you probably don't know your son as well as you'd like, but don't tell me you haven't noticed how brilliant he is. He's been going to one of the top law schools for a year outside of the summer term he spent in Australia and knowing Shinobu that was probably extra-credit for him. He's too smart to let some old guy like me take advantage of him."

"Well, maybe, but that still doesn't explain everything!"

"No and if you take a seat I can continue to clear things up." Miyagi sat back, patiently waiting for the prowling tiger to return to his own seat, before speaking again. "Your son is relentless. He doesn't know everything yet, but he at least has a pretty good idea of the things he wants in life. I guess I just happen to be one of those things."

"I understand the position this puts me in and the one it puts Shinobu in, but he's eighteen now. He's an adult who can make his own decisions. This is clearly not the life that you want for him and I completely sympathize with that. I'll do my best to stay out of your way, but please don't mess things up for him."

"I'll resign quietly and I can assure you I won't do anything that might jeopardize his future or your family's reputation, but unless he leaves me, I won't end he and I's relationship. Like I said, he's an adult and if he chooses to stay with me, then I'm not going to stop him."

The room grew very quiet and Miyagi's ears began to ring. The Dean was staring intensely at his desk, fixated on it. Moving with caution, the dark-haired male moved towards the waste basket and collected his resignation, dusting it off a bit before offering it to Shinobu's father.

"I'm not going to fire you. Put that back." Glancing up the Dean looked even older, worn out almost. The boy's father spoke slowly, his eyes staring like a snake's, void of emotion. "Don't think for a second that this means I'm okay with the relationship you have with Shinobu, but I've decided that I will keep you on staff."

"Why all the sudden-...?"

"Risako came here to speak with me and told me not to fire you, that I was doing it for the wrong reasons, among other things. Obviously I have my own opinion." Clearing this throat, the elder rose again and continued his pacing. "You're an amazing professor you know. All your summer students passed your exam and not only that, but with flying colors."

Feeling a little dizzy, all Miyagi could do was stare open-mouthed. He had graded the papers, but he himself hadn't even realized that his students had passed. He had been so focused on getting Shinobu back that the fate of his summer class hadn't been at the forefront of his mind.

"If I've learned anything from all this, it's that I don't know a thing about my own children. I've pushed them into things they didn't want to do. For Risako it ended up being a huge mistake and I don't want that for my son. I just don't understand one thing: Why you?"

"Sir, I don't think I understand it either." Miyagi's mouth was dry, but there was a note of humor in it, or maybe that was hysterical relief. He decided not to drabble with the details. "I'm old, way past my expiration date. We don't have much in common and his antics confuse me to the point of madness. I've discovered that despite it all that I can't be without him. He's my terrorist."

"...A terrorist..."

"_My _terrorist."

"Your-... … … My wife and I will need time to speak with our son and like I said, I don't approve of this relationship. But-... As long as Shinobu is happy and nothing gets in the way of his schooling, I guess I can tolerate it." Both men were silent again before finally the Dean came over to Miyagi, placing a hand on his shoulder. He gave the professor a long look before nodding in what was an obvious surrender.

The older man once more dumped the resignation in the trash and returned to his office-chair, looking thoughtful.

"Terrorist is an interesting term. Risako was describing him more like a dictator-..." The Dean trailed off in a half smile, Miyagi shuddered at the thought. That was the last thing Shinobu needed to be, a terrorist was bad enough.

* * *

"Kamijou~ I'm going to be able to stay with you forever~" Back to his usual self, Miyagi sped to the office he shared with Hiroki, launching himself at the man. "The Dean didn't fire me after all! It seems that my genius showed itself this summer and I inadvertently created a class full of star-pupils!"

"Excuse me?" Hiro shoved his co-worker off with a look of rage and shock on his face. "You're not leaving?"

"Aww~ You sound disappointed! How cruel can you be Kamijou?"

"Yeah I'm disappointed! I thought I was rid of you for good!" Crossing his arms and turning his back to Miyagi, the brunette strained to hide the satisfied smile that was forcing it's way onto his face. The dark-haired man took no notice and instead threw his arms around his lackey.

"I'll explain everything tomorrow when I come into work."

"I really wish you wouldn't." Grumpy as ever, the brunette shoved Miyagi off and turned to glare at the taller professor.

"You sound happy to me and since you're so happy, I thought you could show your love for me by putting all the books back where they go!"

"What? NO!"

Miyagi was gone before Hiro even had a chance to stop him. The dark-haired man was clearly on some kind of I-Got-To-Keep-My-Job buzz and there was nothing and no one who could stop him.

* * *

"Shinobu?" Miyagi had finally gotten home. In his excitement he had, had a senior moment and gone to his old apartment. His shock at finding an old woman greeting him at the door instead of Shinobu had been so bad that the professor spent the whole drive to the new apartment calming his nerves.

He opened the door and stepped lightly into their new living room, surprised to find that the boy had made amazing progress at unpacking. Shinobu's plan had been to have the apartment completely ready by the time the older man arrived home. However he was quickly felled by the smell of fresh sheets on their bed and the warm sunlight streaming into their bedroom.

Similar to a cat, the warmth and comfort of the bed had been too much to resist and his body had given out on him. This is where Miyagi found him, curled up on the bed, covered in tape and foam peanuts. Unable to resist such a cute sight, the dark-haired man crawled quietly over to the space beside the blond.

One hand pulled Shinobu over against his chest while the other lazily picked the packing peanuts from the boy's soft hair. The Dictator, as he was so named by his sister, didn't even stir. His eyelids were red, surrounded by dark circles, sure tell signs that he hadn't slept in some time. The thrill of being in a new place was too much for him.

"I'm home Shinobu." Miyagi breathed, placing a very light kiss on his boy's forehead. Two gray eyes opened for just a fraction of a second.

"W'lc'me h'me M'yagi."

"Go back to sleep."

Shinobu gladly obliged and Miyagi spent a happy afternoon with the smaller man snuggled up to him, not moving until long after the sun had gone down. He finally was forced to wake 'Sleeping Beauty', who took nearly half an hour to fully bounce back.

"How did things go with my dad?" Still bleary eyed, Shinobu was attempting to open the box in front of him, a box-knife held dangerously in his hand.

"Give me that!" Pulling the blade quickly away from the dazed child, he cut the tape on the box and opened it up to find out what the contents were. "Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you about that-..."

"How bad was it...?"

"He said I could keep teaching."

"What?" Now fully awake, Shinobu stared incredulously up at the professor, a smile beginning to take shape on his face. "You're serious?"

"Yeah, what's with that face?" Embarrassed by the look of bliss on his boyfriend's face, Miyagi averted his gaze. "They decided I was too important to just sack."

"We have to celebrate somehow. I could make dinner!"

"Erm-..."

"We can go get the ingredients and I could cook and we can buy a cake!"

"Shinobu, that's really sweet and all, but I'd like to stay in tonight." Kneeling down in front of the grey-eyed boy, Miyagi grabbed his face gently. "This is the first night of the rest of our lives together. I want to spend it with just you."

"M-Miyagi." Now it was Shinobu's turn to look embarrassed. He wound his arms around the taller's broad shoulders. "You just don't like my stir-fry."

"I've got to have a chance to get ready for it, that's all. It's a very manly meal and my stomach has softened up while you were away."

"So what are we supposed to eat? The fridge is empty and you don't want to go out."

Looking about the room with a face full of seriousness, Miyagi reached out to seize a box. He dug around inside, pulling out some of the packing peanuts and holding them out to Shinobu, who looked simply appalled at the idea.

"You're not serious, right?" Eying the foam with disgust, the honey-haired boy picked up one of the peanuts and examined it. "This isn't edible."

"Sure it is! It's good for you. Lots of fiber I'm sure." Grinning in amusement, the professor was enjoying his banter.

"Fine, you first."

"Wait, what?" Banter over.

"You know what they say, age before beauty. You go first." Impish as ever, the Terrorist held out his hand, a few of the packing peanuts laying peacefully in his palm. "Come on, it was you who suggested it."'

Two dark eyes went from the foam to the smirk that was on his boyfriend's face. Taking a deep breath Miyagi leaned forward and opened his mouth, but instead of taking a bite out one of the packing peanuts, he placed a gentle kiss on the boy's palm.

"H-Hey-..." Shinobu's hand was tingling where Miyagi's lips had pressed against it, his heart playing a bass drum against his ribs. "Miyagi don't-...!"

"I'm just kissing you, calm down." Brushing the foam pieces away, the taller of the two turned the small hand over, delicately placing another kiss on the other side. His kisses continued all the way up Shinobu's arm, first his wrist, then forearm, continuing up until he reached the boy's neck.

The smaller's eyes were closed lightly, his face burning red as a stop light, chest rising and falling rapidly. He was trying to play it cool but falling short by miles. His body was trembling with excitement and anticipation as he eagerly awaited Miyagi's next move.

"Shh, calm down." Placing his head against Shinobu's chest, the older man listened blissfully to the steady thump of Shinobu's heart and the soft swishing of his breathing rushing in and out of his lungs. One of his hands snaked around and began to move carefully up and down the boy's slender back. "You're getting too excited Shinobu, we're not quite there yet."

"But-..."

"I brought something home for dinner when I was coming back from the school."

"Well why didn't you say so?" Not ready to let their intimate moment end, Shinobu's fingers wove through Miyagi's hair, tangling in the dark locks so that he could keep the professor's face pressed against him. "Stupid Miyagi."

"I wanted to warm up a bit before dinner." Shutting his eyes, the older of the two leaned all too eagerly against his lover, using him like some kind of body pillow. They stayed that way until Shinobu's heart and breathing had slowed.

"You promise that we can do it after dinner?"

"I promise."

"Hey Miyagi." Releasing his prisoner, the boy rose to his feet. "Next summer, I'd like to go back to Australia, but I want you to go with me. There's this lighthouse you have to see and I can teach you how to surf."

"Wait, you surf?" Looking bemused at the idea, Miyagi too rose from his spot on the floor. "You don't seem the type at all."

"Colin taught me, okay? I really can do it!"

"We can go, but I don't think I should get up on a surf board. Somehow I think it'll end in disaster."

"Fine, but we have to go see the lighthouse." Looking absolutely giddy, Shinobu started for the kitchen. "I'll show you how _I _surf."

"I'd like that. Let's get through tonight first though. I can only handle so much at my age." Though he was joking, Miyagi was thrown off by the sudden look of rage on his boyfriend's face. "Shinobu?"

"Just because you're a little older doesn't mean you're not any good. I'm older too you know, older than I was when we started going out. Everything gets better with age, right?"

"You certainly have." Feeling a little sentimental, the dark-haired man wrapped his arms tightly around Shinobu. "Don't grow up too fast, okay? Next thing you know you'll be graduating. Speaking of which, what exactly do you plan to do when you graduate?"

"I'm studying law at the top school for it, so it should be obvious what I'm going to do." Looking quite proud of himself, Shinobu answered, "I'm going to become a dictator. Rule the free world. Build a cabbage army."

"Somehow, I don't doubt that for a second. If anyone could do that, it would be you."

From Terrorist to Dictator, Miyagi had no doubts that the future was going to be an interesting ride.

* * *

**FIN**


End file.
